BX 8334
.06

1836
Copy 1

^jU^M. L#A&

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

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*

THE DIFFICULTIES

OF

AR1IIVIAIV METHODISM;

EMBRACING

Strictures on the Writings of Wesley, Drs. Clarke.
Fi$k, Bangs, and others,

IN A SERIES OF LETTERS

ADDRESSED

<\

TO THE REV. * * * *

BY \tfmLIAM ifNNifcV.

The prejudice against religious controversy is irrational
and hurtful. Dr. Mason.

It may be truly affirmed, that the evils of controversy
are transient; the good it produces is permanent.

Robert Hall.

Second Edition, revised and enlarged,

!

D. M. HOGAN & CO.

NO. 78 WOOD STREET, PITTSBURGH.
1836.

-&

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year
1836, by Rev. William Annan, in the Office of the
Clerk of the District Court of the Western District of
Pennsylvania.

\

William Allinder, 'printer.

PREFACE.

The first edition of this little work was published to
meet a particular set of circumstances, connected with an
attack upon the writer, through the agency of certain
tracts published by the " Tract Society of the Methodist
Episcopal Church." The facts referred to, are detailed in
the Introductory Letter. The advice and encouragement
of a number of his clerical brethren, for whose judgment
the writer must ever entertain great deference, has led to
a more extended investigation of the general subject, and
it is hoped, to a more full and satisfactory discussion of the
topics under review. The result is seen in this little vo-
lume.

From the representations which the writer has received
from numerous respectable sources, he has been led to
hope that an effort of this sort would not be altogether use-
less, in reference to many subjects not often introduced
by Presbyterian ministers into the sacred desk. The tri-
umph of truth is certain, but the boldness of her assailants,
in connection with' much forbearance on the part of her
friends, has led to a construction very unfavorable to the
best interests of religion.

The writer anticipates the charge of " persecution."
But the term will be felt to be entirely inappropriate by
every candid man, who will be at the pains to read the In-
troductory Letter of thin volume. Methodism, it has been
well said, has become intolerant by indulgence. She has
so long enjoyed, without molestation, the privilege of pour-

IV PREFACE.

ing forth her volumes of abuse upon other denominations,
that she has come to regard the exercise of the right of
self-defence as an encroachment upon her immunities. To
repel her unrighteous and unprovoked assaults, is to wage
a war of persecution! It is proper, however, to state, that
the painful exposure which we have been obliged to make,
has no reference to the laity of the Methodist communion.
To the preachers belongs the disastrous distinction of hav-
ing constituted themselves the sole depository of ecclesias-
tical power. In this respect, (to use the language of Wes-
ley,) "they are no republicans and never intend to 6e."
The people are excluded entirely from the administration
of affairs: they are forbidden to be present even as spec-
tators, when the travelling clergy convene to enact the
rules which regulate all ecclesiastical measures. We can-
not in justice, therefore, hold the laity responsible for cer-
tain acts, when the preachers have forbidden them to have
any part or lot in the matter,

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

LETTER I.

Introductory Remarks. Abusive Letter of a Circuit Ridei\
from Dr. Green's ".Christian Advocate." Horrid Sen-
timents charged upon Presbyterians by Methodist
Tracts. M Duplicity Exposed.'1 " A Dialogue between
a Predestinarian and his Friend," &c. Exposure of
the Ignorance and Unfairness manifested in these
Tracts — pp. 7-27.

LETTER II.

Difficulties on the subject of Original Sin. Methodist
Articles teach unavoidable sin. Dr. Fisk on the Sub-
ject. Absurd Xotion of Grace and Freedom of the
Will. Devils sin no more! Men sin and are punished
}>y grace! Foreknowledge in bad repute. Drs. Clarke
and Fisk's attempts to escape from the Difficulties.
Undeniable statement of Truth. Methodism teaches
that God is the Author of all Sin. Dr. Fisk's unfair
quotation from the Presbyterian Confession — pp. 28-57.

LETTER III.

Atonement. Methodist Article teaches Universalism.
•• Falling from Grace." Represents the Divine Being as
cruel and unjust. God net partial. Regeneration,
Extravagant Notions. Erroneous Sentiments respect-
ing Faith and Grace. Extracts from President Ed-
wards— pp. 58-51.

LETTER IV.

Sinless Perfection. Methodist Notion is Antinomianism-
Senseless Jargon. Scripture Testimony. Dr. Clarke
versus Wesley. Characteristics of a Work of the

VI CONTENTS,

Spirit. Extravagance and Wildfire of. Methodism,
Testimony of the Wesleys and of Dr. Clarke against
these Abuses. Amusing Description by C. Wesley.
Testimony of Dr. Coke and of Fletcher — pp. 82-104.

LETTER V.

Camp Meetings liable to horrid abuses. Desecration of
the Sabbath. Remarks from u Christian Advocate" by
Dr. Green. Great abuses of the ordinances of Baptism
and the Lord's Supper — pp. 105-124.

LETTER VI.

Methodist Episcopacy. Dr. Bangs1 Proof of the Minister
rial Character of the New Testament Deacons Ex-
amined. No Episcopacy of the Methodist pattern in
the Bible. Rise of the System. Excludes Laymen
qnd makes the Travelling Preachers all in all. Testi-
mony of Dr. S. S. Schmucker. Republicanism of
Scripture— pp. 125-155.

LETTER VII.

Methodist Articles and Discipline. Origin of the Work
Elegant Extracts. " Elect Infants." Reverently obey
the Bishop. Liberal Support of the Travelling Preach-
ers. Testimony of a Methodist. Preachers are the
owners of the Meeting-houses, &c. — pp. 156-184.

APPENDIX.

Examination of Methodist Tracts, &c. — pp. 185-196,

1STTSE I.

INTRODUCTORY.

Spirit of Methodism. Unrighteous Accusations.
To the Rev. -,

Rev. Sir:

It is now a number of months since I had the
pleasure of passing an evening in friendly and
Christian intercourse with you at your dwelling
near B. Amid the the varied conversation which
occurred at that time, some remarks were made
upon the hostile character and improper spirit ex-
hibited in the assaults of the advocates of Metho-
dism, upon the denomination of Christians to
which we have the honor and privilege to belong.
In speaking of the manner in which these assail-
ants of our beloved church should be met, you
said, if my memory serves me, that you would
prefer, (in imitation of Faber's celebrated works
on Romanism and Infidelity,) a clear and distinct
exposure cf the numberless difficulties and defence-
less points of the very system which is so confident-
ly announced as superior to all others; as possess-

THE DIFFICULTIES OF

ing more than all their excellencies and none of
their peculiar defects. You seemed to admit that
in every scheme of religious belief, there would
necessarily be found some points, like " some
things" in the Epistles of "our beloved brother
Paul," " hard to be understood;" but in the sys-
tem of doctrine and discipline, adopted by the Pres-
byterian church, there were, in your view, fewer
of these difficulties than pertain to any other main-
tained among men; and therefore there could be
no hazard that in directing public attention to the
weak points in ether syi e should leave un-

guarded our own.

Although the idea, thus incidentally suggested,
impressed my mind as one of much importance, it
certainly did not occur, that in the arrangements of
Divine Providence, it would ever fall to the lot of
him who now addresses you, to extend and apply
the principle. But occurrences of a recent date,
have called up the remarks of that evening vividly
to my recollection, and seem to compel the attempt
at least, to give form and substance to the thought
which you then threw out. And though 1 sensibly
feel' the importance and difficulty of the task, and
the demand which it makes for talents of a high
order; yet as I have searched in vain for some
convenient manual to place in the'Jiands of the

All ?I, 9

charge, for the purpose of guarding
them against the peculiar form of delusion designed
to be exposed in these letters, my apology must be,
the n€ together with the hope,

that c r.nding the acknowledged imperfec-

tions of this performance,

until 8 to the

subject.

I am not ignorant that the cfcce of public

ad weaknesses of others is altogether a

c

one. Bi ■-. that it is a Chris-

tian duty to " contend earnestly for the faith once
delivered to the saints," and repel, and

and representations erroneously
and unrighteously made. Let it be remembered
we are not commencing this "ersy. It

has been forced upc larter; and

alternative left us is. e: ':■ sub-

mit to the which are heaped upon us, to

-s the pre ruth betrayed and insulted,

and he >rid in the

ist and ; to endeavor,

the example c les3 wise men,

and the 33 and

her standard in : : of her foes.

>t been sought
:: has I upon us, con-

10 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

trary to our wishes and expectations, Not to
dwell upon the oft-repeated efforts, in the public
ministrations of Methodist preachers, to disparage
and destroy the character and influence of Presby-
terians— not to speak of their attempts to impress
the public mind with the idea, that our ministers
are heartless formalists, who preach for the sake
of filthy lucre, " without converting a single soul
for many years, nor perhaps through their whole
ministry" — not to urge the fact of their publicly
naming our ministers in connection with the
amount of salary received by them, thus designing
to make the impression, that whilst toe abound in
wealth, they are doomed to perpetual poverty — not
to dwell upon these and many other worse features
of practical Methodism, we adduce a single exam-
ple, which is on record, as fairly representing the
whole. A lady, says one of our most respectable
ministers, was about uniting with the Presbyterian
church. " On opening the door one morning the
letter from which the following extract is made,
was found, directed to herself. The circuit rider
was charged to his face with being the author of
it, and never denied it."

" My Sister— -As you are about to take a step
which will be of great importance to your future.

AKMI>"1AX METHODISM. 11

welfare, permit me to ask a few questions — What
benefit do you expect in the Presbyterian church,
you cannot find in ours? cce. Brother H." (mean-
ing himself) " has never got but twenty dollars,
whereas the Presbyterians have collected near
8100 at a time. Whose labors does God bless
the most, that of the Methodists or Presbyterians?
Do not the Presbyterians admit of card-playing,
going to theatres, &c.3 ccc? how then can they be
the people of God? Take heed, my Sister, how
you join that church: you may repent of it, when
it is eternally too late. Leaving out of view all
the God-dishonoring horrors of election and repro-
bation, I cannot see how you can join that people.
Beware, my sister, what you do; farewell till we
meet at the judgment, where you will know that
he who writes this is YorR Friend--''*

But to prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that
we are acting on the principle of self-defence ■, the
following facts may suffice. Into the district where
Providence has cast my lot,f there was introduced,
some months since, a parcel of Methodist tracts,
which were circulated among the families of my

* See Dr. Green's " Christian Advocate," Vol. 9, p, 25,
t The writer then resided in Mifflin county, Fa.

12 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

charge; and, in particular, were carefully conveyed
into a part of the congregation (a small village)
where not a Methodist resided, but where it was
generally known some religious excitement pre-
vailed. The same publications, I am informed by
a Methodist preacher, are scattered in great num-
bers through our cities, and over the wide extent
of our country. But before proceeding to quote
from these tracts, I wish to remind you, that the
statements about to be given, are published, not by
an individual, but by the General Tract Society of
the Methodist Episcopal church, under the care and
control of the General Conference. They may
therefore be regarded as the unanimous verdict of
that church in reference to Presbyterianism.

We are accused of believing, (I give their ex-
press language,) ;i that God by an eternal and un-
changeable decree, hath predestinated to eternal
damnation far the greater part of mankind, with-
out any respect to their works,* that God is the
author of all sin, working wickedness in the
wicked; that the preaching of the Gospel is a mere
mock and illusion; that men are in a far worse
condition than the devils in hell; and that God
sends forth his servants with a lie in their mouths;"
" that God has taken the work of the devil out of
his hands and does it more cfTectuallv: the devil

ARMINIAN METHOD:-::, 1 :j

tempts. God forces men to sin and to perish." We
are charged with representing our blessed Lord
M as a hypocrite, a deceiver of the people, a man
void of common sincerity; as mocking his helpless
creatures: as pretending the love which he had
not: as weeping crocodile's tears: weeping over the
prey which he himself had compelled to sin, and
then doomed to destruction: as thus representing
the most holy God as worse than the devil, more
false, more cruel, and more unjust. "

It is true that, these impious statements are not
all charged upon Presbyterians by name; yet our
doctrines are repeatedly named, and our Confes-
sion of Faith is very often quoted in proof, and in
some instances, as we will presently show, our
very ministers as a body are introduced, in infa-
mous connection with these shocking blasphemies.
It has indeed been said that Methodists urge those
things only as objections to the Calvinistic system;
that they do not suppose that Presbyterians adopt
such sentiments; but only, if they were consistent
in following out their theological views to their
consequences, they must receive them as the in-
evitable inferences.*' If this were the light in
which these charges are to be viewed, it would, I
acknowledge, relieve their authors of much of the
guilt of haying made them. We will see.

14 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

I confess I once thought so. I thought these
sentiments were imputed to us rather as mistakes
of judgment, than the errors of a corrupt and dis-
honest heart. But those were the days of my ig-
norance. Since that period, a ray from the bril-
liant constellation of Methodism at New York has
flashed across my path, and shed light into the
darkest chambers of my soul. Methodism has
gone much further. She insists that we must and
do maintain precisely what is given above as a fair
exhibition of our views. And when Presbyterians
have demurred and hesitated, she has fallen quite
into a passion, because we will not take her word
for it; and uses hard epithets, and throws out dark
insinuations, and mutters something about " dupli-
city and artifice." And unless we openly profess
and teach the sentiments, which, she says we hold,
she will feel herself in duty bound to expose our
dishonesty.

This is by no means a picture of the fancy. I
have now lying before me a tract, published under
the direction of the General Conference of the
Methodist church, and entitled " Duplicity Expo-
sed," in which an attempt is made to hold up
Presbyterians and Congregationalists to the deep
detestation of every honest man. Its very title is
a sufficient index to its character. Johnson defines

ABMIXIAN METHODISM. 15

duplicity, " deceit, dcubleness of heart and tongue."
Of course, the design of this tract is to expose the
" fraud and deceitful practices of Presbyterians
and others, by which falsehood is made to pass for
truth. But we will let the tract speak for itself.
After some introductory remarks upon the import-
ance of sincerity in religious professions, ci Dupli-
city Exposed" proceeds as follows:

" It never comports with honesty, much less
with religious integrity, to dissemble with the pub-
lic, professing one thing whilst we industriously
circulate another* However unwilling we are to
charge such duplicity on any body of people, yet
we are constrained to say the pretensions and
practices of some men are to us unaccountable.
We have always understood that the Congrega*
tional churches in this country, and all who are as-
sociated with them, were in doctrine founded on
the Assembly's Catechism, and Saybrook Plat-
form." " Agreeably to the peculiar sentiments
contained in these Confessions, we have thought
ourselves authorized to say the Associated Con-
gregational and Presbyterian churches believe and
teach, that God for his own glory hath fore-
ordained whatsoever comes to pass; that by the
decree of God some men and angels were pre-
destinated to eternal life and some to death, and

16 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

that the number' of the predestinated is so definite
that it cannot be cither increased or diminished"
" But for several years the public have been en-
tertained with pitiful complaints against the Armi-
nians and Methodists for misrepresenting their doc-
trine, and charging them with principles of fatality,
reprobation, &c; all which they have gravely af-
fected to deny. And that they may lull the -peo-
ple into favor, they have dwelt with seeming ear-
nestness on the general invitations of the Gospel,
free agency in man, and universal atonement of
Christ; but with all their ingenuity they have not
been able to conceal from the ic ell -informed, the
cloven foot of their peculiar tenets, unconditional
election and reprobation." — pp. I, 2.

In connection with the foregoing, the tract con-
tains an abusive attack upon a certain Mr. Weeks,
author of a Scripture Catechism, who is charged
in three instances with duplicity. In another
place they assert, " it was not ignorance in Mr.
Weeks. It teas an intention to blind the eyes of
the people concerning his own doctrine ," &c—
p. 6.

Again: The author and publishers of this reli-
gious tract state their object to be, " simply to show
that the Associated Congregational and Presbyterian
churches do believe and teach the same doctrines

ARMIKIAN METH0D1S31. 17

as agreed on at Say brook, and established by law
in this state more than one hundred years ago.
And notwithstanding the pitiful whining about
their being misrepresented, they are as high-toned
Prcdestinarians at this day as ever they were."
" We say," continues the tract, " they believe the
doctrine of eternal and unchangeable decrees, of
unconditional election and reprobation, of the uni-
versal agency of God by which he worketh all
things in all men, even ivickedness in the wicked" —
"because he chooses on the whole that they should
go on in sin, and thereby give him a plausible pre-
text for damning them intlie fl.ames of hell forever "
" We do not mean to blame any person for believ-
ing the above stated doctrine, if they cannot con-
scientiously disbelieve it, but we do and must
blame them when they dissemble their belief by
sometimes saying they do not believe what we know
they industriously teach ." — pp. 8, 9.

" If the associated Congregational and Presbyte-
rian churches have made any material alteration
in their doctrine and discipline, we think they owe
it to the public to show what articles they have re-
jected," &c. "In short, they ought to publish a re-
vised and improved edition of their Confession of
Faith" — p. 9. Again they say: " The object of
this tract is not to controvert or disprove the hor-

IS TH£ DIFFICULTIES OF

rid sentiments it discloses, but simply to demon*
strate that such sentiments are held and propa-
gated, while many who affect to disavow them,
are endeavoring to suit them to the popular taste
b}/ exhibiting them in a disguising dress. We
blame not 'people who honestly believe, but we
blame those who disbelieve what they openly pro*
jess and teach"* — pp. 9, 10.

The substance of these quotations, may be
collected at one view from such passages as the
following: " To dissemble with the public, by ar-
tifice conceal our real sentiments, professing one
thing while we industriously circulate another;"
that they may lull people into favor, have dwelt
with seeming earnestness"—" dissemble their be-
lief"— " disbelieve what they openly profess and
teach" &c, &c.

Now, at this stage of the evidence that we are
writing in self defence, we cannot but pause and
inquire — By what authority has Methodism placed
herself upon the judgment-seat, and assuming the
prerogative of u Him who tries the heart," dared
to pronounce upon others a sentence of this dark
character] From what revelation of the divine
will has she learned that these are the measures
approved by Heaven for promoting the cause of
religion, and advancing the glory of God?

AR31IMAX METHOBlSaf:. 19

if further proof, that we have been driven to the
necessity of defending ourselves, our doctrines, and
our good name, be necessary, it is at hand. In
another of the publications of the General Confe-
rence, through their Tract Society, they give nu-
merous references to our standard authors, with
the design of fastening the foregoing blasphemous
sentiments upon our church. This tract is enti-
tled, " A Dialogue between a Predestinarian and
his Friend," and refers in two instances to the
Presbyterian Confession of Faith to support the
charge of maintaining the grossest impieties. A
few specimens of the candor, fairness, and accu-
racy of these references must suffice for the pre-
sent.* In attempting to quote the standards of
Presbyterianism, they cite " chapters 3d and 5th of
the Assembly's Catechism." But if these very
profoundly learned gentlemen had inquired of a
Sabbath school child, they might have received
the important information, that the Assembly's
Catechism is not divided into chapters; and been
also instructed, that before attempting to quote a
book, it is generally prudent, to say the least, to
see and read it. This blunder might indeed be
regarded as a mere mistake of the press, were it

* Sec Appendix to this volume.
3

20 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

not that this unfortunate " mistake*' is found in
the " works of Wesley," the author of the tract;
and also in the stereotyped volume of Methodist
doctrinal tracts; and also in Dr. Bangs' reply to
Haskel; they all talk of chapters 3d and 5th of the
Assembly's Catechism: and even Dr. W. Fisk)
the " great horn" of Methodism, commits the
same blunder* There is too much " method in
their madness" to be ascribed to mere inadvertence.
The truth is, they were all ignorant.

Again: The following sentiment is ascribed to
Dr. Twisse, who was the presiding officer of the
Westminster Assembly. " All things come to
pass by the efficacious and irresistible will of
God." Now this was originally the charge of
Arminius against Calvinism, " efficaci Dei volun*
tate, et cui resisti nequeat omnia evenire," not the
language of Twisse. It is true, Dr. Twisse pro*
fesses his willingness to adopt this language with
certain explanations, the design and purport of
which may be learned from his definition of the
divine will or decree— " Propositi! m Dei, ut faciat
vel permittat aliquid:" that is, " the purpose of
God to do or permit any thing''' Would not ho-
nest men be ashamed of such perversion of the
sentiments of any author?

AHMIXI AX METHODISM. 21

Finally: Zanchius is represented as teaching
that " God's first constitution was that some should
be destined to eternal ruin: and to this end their
sins were ordained, and denial of grace in order to
their sins." But there is no such passage in the
section of the works of Zanchius referred to in the
tract: and the accuracy and fairness of the extract
may be learned from the following, which are the
express words of that author: <; Deus, ut quotidie
permiitit tarn pios quam impios labi in peccatta;
sicquoque ab eterno decrevit ut omnes peccarepf-
mlticrct. Quare non falso dictum universos homi-
nes eo fuisse ordinatos, ut permitterentur peccare:"
that is, u God, as he daily permits the good as
well as the wicked to fall into sin, so also from
eternity decreed to permit all men to sin. Where-
fore it is correctly said that all men were ordained
to that extent that they might be permitted to sin."
Thus much for the learning and candor of the ad-
vocates of Methodism! The cause which demands
such methods of support, must be incapable of legi-
timate defence.

On a review of these evidences of the hostile
spirit of Methodism, I believe, Rev. Sir, you will
agree with me that the Presbyterian ministry must
sink very far below its proper level, before it will
become necessary to refute or even formally deny

THE DIFFICULTIES OF

such calumny, as is contained in 4i Duplicity Ex-
posed." And as to those who are capable of writ-
ing and publishing such tracts, for the glory of
God and the spread of religion, it is not probable
they would be made either wiser or better men by
any such denial or refutation. Permit me, there-
fore, in drawing this letter to a close, to suggest a
few very obvious reflections.

1". Suppose Methodism should succeed in her
attempt to fix this stain upon the reputation and
character of three or four thousand acknow-
ledged ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ — who
would be the gainer? Would it be the cause
of true religion? But how can it advantage the
cause of religion, to expose four thousand of her
ministers to contempt and shame? No! It is on
the altar of exclusive Methodism that this costly
sacrifice must be offered, it is at her footstool and
to appease her unholy jealousies, that religion her-
self must be cast down wounded, bleeding, disho-
nored.

But what had the ministers of the Presbyterian
church done, to call down the vengeance of Method-
ism? Had they commenced a system of fierce and
unrighteous hostility against that church? Had they
roused the blood of passion, by uncandid and un-
christian misrepresentations? No such thing. The

ARMIIXIAX METHODISM. 23

whole of their aggravated crime, according to
the showing of the tract itself, was, that they had
taken the liberty of laying before the public, their
own views of their own doctrines, in the form and
language which seemed to them most agreeable to
Scripture and reason. But for this unpardonable
offence forth step the Doctors of Methodism, at the
head of the General Conference, and attempt to
hold them up to public reprobation, as guilty of a
departure from the simplest laws of truth and ho-
nesty. And this, too, as part and parcel of those
efforts by which religion is to be promoted: and
worst of all and most to be lamented, by the best
and brightest of the very sect which zealously pro-
fesses and advocates the doctrine of " sinless per-
fection!" From all such " perfection*' may Hea-
ven preserve us! But perhaps the worthy Doctors
had fallen from grace!

Qui s talia fan do

Temperct a lachrymis!

And as if to render the charge against us of secret
plans, motives, and intentions, supremely ridicu-
lous, the men who urge these things are those
preachers, who have legislated the entire ecclesias-
tical power of their church into their own hands —
3 *

24 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

who have excluded the people, not only from a
seat and a vote in their Conferences, but even from
the privilege of spectators — and who meet in secret
conclave to transact business, to deliberate and to
decide on subjects which fear or shame forbids to
meet the eye in public, either of friend or foe! What-
ever may be the designs of Providence with regard
to the agents of this system, the " prius dementat"
stands forth in coloring too glaring to be misun-
derstood.

2. An inquiry will naturally arise in every reflect-
ing mind — " Do Methodists really believe what
they have published to our prejudice? Do they
believe their own assertions? If they have said
and done these things, hiowingly to slander Pres-
byterians, we can only say 6 Father forgive them.'
But if, on the other hand, they are persuaded of
the truth of their assertions, then do they believe,
that we profess a religion essentially different from
theirs; that we worship another God;" and that
the Gospel we preach is as radically opposed to
theirs, as the father of evil, to the Father of
lights — the god of this world, to the God of infinite
mercy. How then can they consent to hear the
preaching of men who entertain such blasphemous
views? Why do they charge with bigotry those
Presbyterians who refuse to commune with them

ARM I XI AN METHODISM. 20

at the table of the Lord? How is it possible they
can desire it? — or to invite Methodisrs to commune
with them? How can they venture to drink " the
cup of devils," with us, if we maintain these pro-
fane and impious sentiments? Indeed, if they
speak the truth of us, we are worshippers of Satan,
since we worship a god " more false, more cruel,
and more unjust." We have only to add, that the
foregoing are difficulties, which we are sincerely
thankful ice are not required to solve.

3. However agreeable to the character, tem-
per, and spirit of ministers of the Gospel, the above
mentioned tracts are supposed to be; and however
well adapted to recommend and promote that reli-
gion which " thinketh no evil" which forbids to
" take up an evil report against our neighbor," or
to bear false ivitness against him; yet it cannot
be denied, that among those who do not recognize
the sanctions of religion, nor walk in her light, a
transaction of the above-mentioned character would
have led to results widely different from the pains
and penalties of an ecclesiastical tribunal. The
civil court would have afforded redress. The
strong arm of justice takes effectual cognizance of
him who attempts to deprive his neighbor of his
good name. There is a tray, however of doing
such things, which is at least more safe; though

26 THE DIFFICULTIES Of

I greatly doubt, whether among the men of this
wicked world, it is considered much more honora-
ble.

4. Finally: These measures, on the part of
Methodists, have been for many }^ears, in active
operation, directed not against individuals, but
against the interests of the whole Presbyterian Body,
without meeting with the rebuke and exposure they
so richly deserve. But of late our silence has been
urged as evidence of a consciousness of guilt. " If
these things are not true," said a Methodist preach-
er to some of the people of my charge, why are
they not contradicted and refuted?" We have
been driven, therefore, to the unpleasant alterna-
tive, either of standing before the public as con-
founded b}^ a sense of guilt, our forbearance con-
strued to our disadvantage, and our love of peace,
made a pretext for more violent assault; or of
taking up the pen to assert and prove our innocence,
and to direct the course of public justice, so as to
strike those who are really guilty. The interests
of truth will permit us to be silent no longer. To
ourselves, our children, and the church of God,
we owe it, to let the truth be known. And if in
defending the precious cause of our Master, and
vindicating our good name, we are compelled to
publish some things which seem to bear heavily

4BHIKIAX METHODISM. *J /

upon those whom we wish to call Christians, we
appeal to the candor of every reader, to say, who
have been the authors, and instigators, and of
consequence, where must rest the responsibility, of
this unhappy controversy. " If it be possible, as
much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men;"
but, the authority which enjoins " peace," wherev-
er it is possible, also teaches that there are limits
to that " possibility."

Thus, Rev. Sir, have I endeavored to glance at
some of the measures by which Methodism is at-
tempting to fix her foundations amid the ruins of
other denominations. We only wish these things
to be kept in mind- as determining the attitude of
attack or defence, of ^ither party, while we pro-
ceed to weigh in <; the balance of the Sanctuary,"
the value of the system of which these are some of
the hopeful fruits; — a system, be it remembered,
which as it challenges comparison with others, and
proclaims with great vehemence their supposed de-
fects, ought itself to be pre-eminently free from dif-
ficulties and well founded obiections.

28 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

LSTTSR II.
Original Sin. Foreknowledge* Predestination*

Rev. Sir:

Having shown, as we believe, to the conviction
of every candid mind, that we stand, in this dis-
cussion, in the attitude o£ self-defence, we proceed
without further delay, to state and illustrate the
difficulties of Methodism.

I. The Difficulties of Methodism in reference
to the Doctrine of Original Sin. The vague,
confused, and contradictory statements made
upon this subject.

Among the articles of Religion as published by
VTaugh & Mason, in 1832, for the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and, (along with the Discipline,) re-
commended to all their people, " next to the word
of God," the 7th is in the following terms:

" Original Sin standeth not in the following of
Adam (as the Pelagians vainly talk) but it is the
corruption of the nature of every man, that natu-

ARMINIA3 METHODISM. 29

rally is engendered of the offspring of Adam,
whereby man is very far gone from original right-
eousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil
and that continually."

The corruption of nature, taught in this article,
by which " man is inclined to evil and that contin-
ually," is manifestly the fountain whence flows all
actual sin, the radix malorum, an evil of fearful
magnitude, a curse of tremendous extent. Who
then is the guilty author of this dread calamity, by
which corruption, and misery, and death, are hand-
ed down from generation to generation? Is it the
infant or the parent? Must we trace it back to
Adam, the primitive ancestor of the race; or must
we impute it to the Creator himself? In answer
to these questions the Methodist Standard of doc-
trine is mute; and the members and ministers are
left to believe and teach, upon this subject, what-
ever is right in their own eyes. Men may adopt
their Articles and Discipline, and yet maintain that
God is the author of sin, the originating cause of
that " corruption of nature*' by which " man is in-
clined to evil and that continually,5' and thus the
author of all sin. This, their religious teachers

J o

may hold and inculcate, and yet. so far as appears,
be good Methodists. The whole subject is sub-

30 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

mitted to the freak, or fancy, or frenzy, of each indi-
vidual, whether preacher or ordinary member.

Now, it is well known to be a favorite topic of
declamation, among these opposers of Presbyteri-
anism, that car system leads inevitably to the
adoption of the fore-mentioned monstrous doctrine
of the origin of sin. Long, and loud, and oft-
repeated, are their asseverations to this effect; and
they do not hesitate, as we have seen, to charge
those among us who reject the thought with ab*
horrence, as guilty of a want of candor, or some*
thing worse. But what says the Confession of
Faith of the Presbyterian church upon the subject
of the author of sin? " The sinfulness thereof
(viz. of sinful actions) proceedeth only from the
creature, and not from God, who being most holy
and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or
approver of sin."' Ch. v. Sec. 4. And this, be it
remembered, is a declaration, to which, all Presby-
terian ministers and elders, at their ordination, so*
lemnly give their assent and approbation. A man
may be a good preacher of Methodism — he will re-
sist no regulation among men, nor violate any
ministerial oath, who holds and teaches that God
is the author of sin; but the fundamental principles
of the Presbyterian church forever forbid to such a
person, an entrance into her ministry or eldership,,

ARM1NIAN METHODISM. Gi

tinder the penalty of a conscience perjured before
earth and Heaven.

Again: the " corruption of nature" taught by
the Article is necessary and unavoidable. Man
brings it into the world with him; and he can no
more avoid being the child of sinful parents, and of
: ;, the child of a corruption by which " he is
inclined to continual evil," than he can determine
the time and place of his birth. He is therefore
necessarily and unavoidably, u without any pre-
ceding fault or offence of his," " very far gone
from original righteousness and inclined to evil
and that continually." But Dr. W. Fisk, speaking
as the organ of the General Conference, tells us,
" that if God holds men responsible for what is
nothing more could be said of the
merciless tyrant." (Disc, on Predes. p. 13.)
It follows, therefore., that though " man is inclined
to evil and that continually," yet he is not " re-
sponsible" for this wickedness, because it is unavoid-
able; in other words, " Original Sin" is no sin,
but a very innocent harmless thing which none
but a " merciless tyrant" would ever consider de-
serving of punishment!

Nevertheless. Dr. Fisk further assures us, (p. 30,)
that " all depravity whether derived or contracted
is damning in its nature." Here we are back on
4

1^2 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

the old ground: Original Sin is unavoidable—**
therefore it is no sin; but still it is " damning in
its nature!" How is this? The Dr. will tell us:
"guilt is not imputed, until by a voluntary rejec-
tion of the Gospel remedy, man makes the depra-
vity of his nature the object of his choice." " By a
voluntary rejection of the Gospel remedy?" But,
Rev. Dr., does not your 7th Article teach " a cor-
ruption of nature by which man is inclined to evil
and that continually?" And if he be inclined to
continual evil, then is he inclined to this very evil
of rejecting the Gospel remedy. It is idle, there-
fore on your own principles, to talk of a voluntary
(or sinful) rejection of the Gospel remedy, when
man is necessarily and unavoidably inclined to
reject it. Of course it can be no sin to reject it,
and God would be a " merciless tyrant" to " im-
pute guilt" for rejecting the remedy. How then
can a depravity which none can avoid, which
none but " merciless tyranny" could regard as de-
serving of punishment, be said to be " damning in
its nature?"

In reply to this reasoning, a writer in defence of
Dr. Fisk, whilst admitting that man is by nature
unavoidably inclined to " continual evil," and of
course to the evil of rejecting the Gospel remedy
— asserting too that this destrovs the freedom of

ARMIXIAX METHODISM. 33

his will, and " that it would be mockery for the
Divine Being to set before him life and death and
invite him to choose life, when he was mcrally in-
capable of such a choice." — yet thinks he relieves
the subject of the difficulty, by stating that -; Dr. F.

ocs man as graciously assisted to make
voluntary choice." In other words, man is by
birth the heir of a depravity which ;; unavoidably
inclines him to continual evil.** It follows, there-
fore, according to Dr. F., that he lias no power of
voluntary choice, and is not a free moral agent,
until c: graciously assisted.'' and made capable of
voluntary choice — and he Dr. continues,

" through the grace of the Gospel, all are born

condemnation." p. 30. Which is about
the same as to say, that man is enabled •• by grace"
to escape a condemnation i

unavoidable, it would have t •ciless tyranny

to execute. A wc :e;. truly, tc

-inner to avoid a punishment which none
but a tyrant could inflict! A strange idea of the
grace off I, that it comes in to render men

capable of sinning, deserving >f punishment foi
their sin, and liable to a ;- condemnation" which,
but for this grace, a righteous God could not just-

2 upon any aposts te

34 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

Further: The Arminian notion of the freedom
of the will is. that it consists in indifference; or,
in the language of President Edwards, " in that
equilibrium whereby the will is without all antece-
dent bias." But it is evident, that, owing to the
fall, man becoming " inclined to evil and that con-
tinually,5' could have no such freedom of will;
therefore he was no longer a free agent — therefore
he could commit no more sin, for none but a free
agent can be chargeable with the violation of law.
But this " short and easy method" for apostate
men to arrive at " sinless perfection," was unfor-
tunately nipped in the bud, by the "grace of the
Gospel," which restored man's freedom, and made
him a sinner by grace! But as no such act of
grace has been exercised toward Satan and his
angels, we must suppose that they, having lost
their freedom of indifference, sin no more!

That this is no burlesque upon the views of
Methodism can easily be shown. In the volume
of doctrinal tracts, which were originally bound up
with the book of Discipline, we are told, in the
words of Wesley, " that in the moment Adam fell
he had no freedom of will left" p. 154. Again,
same page, " man hath his freedom of will not
naturally, but by grace:" And after quoting the
Presbyterian Confession of Faith, ch. 9: Ci God

oaJ ral

itermined to good 01 the

h said i -ill

ay, and perhaps mores." The

quite too liberal, on the
i - freedom, for orthodox Method!-
rame subject, hear the great Oracle of
thodism, Dr. Adam Clarke. ;- Had man been
just as he was when he fell from God, he in
all probability, had been utterly unsalvable: as he
appears to have lost all his spiritual light and un-
derstanding, and even his moral feeling" " As
they (Adam and Eve) were, so would have been
all their posterity, had not some gracious princi-
ple been su pern atu rally restored to enlighten their
minds, to give them some knowledge of good and
, of right and wrong, of virtue and vice, and
ring them into a salvable state." (Dis-
cours : " . 77.

od Eve, therefore, and ail their posterity

re brought by the fall into that estate, in which

il feelings, do knowledge of

right ....." If so, they were not moral

Tents, and could perform neither holy nor unholy

no more, until grace restored

their freedom, and enabled n : to commit all

1*

30 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

the sin that has flowed from the first transgression.
Thus God is represented as the author of all sin
since the fall! The society of devils, moreover,
according to this theory, is as pure, from actual
sin, as that of the angels around the eternal throne!
Nor is it conceivable that, on this plan, there can
be any punishment of a sinful being, who in the
act of sin has blotted out conscience, moral feeling,
and all sense of right and wrong, unless there be
also punishment by grace!

The result of the whole is, that we have original
sin which is no sin — depravity without fault, *' in-
clination to evil" without criminality, the penalty
of the law inflicted upon those who are not subjects
of law, and wondrous " grace" to deliver us from
a punishment which we do not deserve! Such is
the jargon, which is published by the highest
authority, as the approved doctrinal views of the
Methodist Church.

But what say the Scriptures upon the subject
which is wrapped up in so many contradictions
and inconsistencies: " Our first parents being left
to the freedom of their own will, fell from their
estate of innocency." " By the disobedience of
one, many were made sinners." Rom. v. "In
Adam all die," because all have in him deserved
to dio. " By the offence of one, judgment came

UtMINIAK METHODISM. 37

upon all men to condemnation." Adam was a
public person; he acted not for himself alone, buf-
fo r his posterity; for them he was to stand his pro-
bation and purchase the reward of life eternal; or
for them to fall, and entail the penalty of the viola-
ted law: " they sinned in him and fell with him
in his first transgression.'' As a part of the
threatened penalty, " they are shapen in iniquity,
and conceived in sin" — " by nature children of
wrath." i: They go astray from the womb, speak-
ing lies." Still they are moral agents, possessing
freedom of will in the highest sense — they act as
they choose to act, are under no physical constraint
or coercion, and their " inclination to evil" is their
crime; their love of sin, their condemnation. The
stronger their depraved affections, the more in-
tensely they burn within the corrupt heart, so much
more vile is the act, so much mere deep and de-
served the righteous retribution. If, in the Provi-
dence of God, man is un avoidably a fallen crea-
ture, <; prone to evil as the sparks fly upward" — if
he has become so by the act of his original ances-
tor, appointed his head and representative, let him
not repine. Would it have been either more wise,
or more merciful, to have ordered that each indi-
vidual should enter the world in the infancy of his
b^in^, while vet his faculties of body and soul were

38 THE DIFFICULTIES

in the imperfect and undeveloped state, then, to
stand his trial for weal or woe; or that one should
be appointed, strong and vigorous, in all the per-
fection of that original manhood, which the all
wise God pronounced " very good" — that such a
one should be given us in whose hands should be
placed our destiny, and by whose conduct should
be decided the future character of his posterity?
Could every child of Adam have looked on when
the scheme was ordained in the councils of eternity,
true modesty would have dictated the right answer
to these inquiries. And had the result been, the
ejtablishment of the whole human family in per-
petual holiness and happiness, every tongue would
have celebrated the wisdom and benevolence of
the ordination. We pass to the consideration of
another subject of much interest.

II. The difficulties of Methodism in reference to

THE DOCTRINE OF FOREKNOWLEDGE. THE TENDEN-
CY IS TO A DIRECT DENIAL OF THIS DlVINE AT-
TRIBUTE.

The Foreknowledge of God seems never to have
been a favorite in the body of divinity, current
among Methodists. Wesley appears to have con-
founded it with Omniscience, in his sermon on
Predestination (vol. 2, p. 250) he says, " If we

aRMIXIAN METHODISM

39

. proper!- is no such thing as Fore-

knowledge or After-knowledge in God" — and one
of his modern imitators adds ; y, "If we

may apply the term Foreknowledge to the Deity."
We are disposed however to think that Peter spoke
quite as " properly" as either, when he said Ci with
the eleven/' " Him being delivered by the deter-
minate counsel and Foreknowledge of God, ye
have taken and with wicked hands have crucified
and slain." And again, 1 Pet. 1:2, "Elect accord-
ing to the Foreknowledge of God the Father," &e.
The founder of Methodism had sufficient discern-
ment to observe, that this idea of the divine mind
comprehending all time and all eternity at one
glance and as present in one view, does not in any
degree relieve the difficulties which beset the sub-
ject of Foreknowledge. Hence in writing to Dr*
Robertson, in answer to the inquiry, " How is
God's Foreknowledge consistent with our freedom."
he candidly replies, " I cannot tell" (Misc. Works,
vol. 3, p. 219.)

That the doctrine of the I ^science is not

in very good odor -: vderns of the same

| school, is inferrible from the fact, that their " Ar-
mies and Book of Discipline" are entirely silent
I upon the subject, nor is it any where noticed in a
| vobune of near 200 pages, professing to be an ex-

40 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

hibition of the faith of Christians. It is said in-
deed that the book mentions the divine wisdom
which comprehends Foreknowledge; but if men
who " spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost" make a distinction between these perfec-
tions of God, and give each its separate place and
prominence in their system, it would he both safe
and modest not to attempt to improve upon their
divinity.

But whatever may have been the intention of
the omission, one thing is certain; such is the
headlong zeal with which the advocates of Meth-
odism pursue the doctrine of Predestination, that
they are irresistibly led to limit and even to deny
this essential attribute. Hence the celebrated Dr.
Adam Clarke, following the strange conception of
one,# who was first a protestant, then a deist, next
a mystic, and finally a papist, has recommended
to his brethren a new and easy doctrine of Fore-
knowledge. According to this representation, the
Deity makes a distinction in the universe of know-
able things, between those which he will foreknow,
and those of which he will choose to remain igno-
rant. Among the latter, Dr. Clarke places the
free actions of intelligent moral agents. God re-

* Chevalier Ramsey.

ARM1NIAN METHODISM. 41

solves not to foreknow these. Thus it seems, that
ignorance is a high perfection of an infinite Being,
without which it is impossible, according to the
Dr., to govern the mora] universe! But without
entering into a discussion of the merits of this sin-
gular opinion, one thing is very worthy of remark.
Dr. Clarke felt that the commonly received views
of Foreknowledge are inconsistent with the denial
of the doctrine of Predestination, and that most of
the objections made to the latter, lie with equal
weight against the former. Hence the necessity
of devising some mode of escaping the difficulties,
which press upon the admission of Foreknowledge
with the rejection of Predestination. In order
therefore to be consistent, he has become profane;
and has spoken upon this subject with even greater
want of consideration than when he attempted to
prove that the animal which deceived Eve, was
not a serpent, but an ourang-outang, or baboon!

Dr. W. Fisk, too, when he comes to reply to
the argument in favor of Predestination, drawn
from Foreknowledge, very clearly evinces that his
troubles are somewhat distressing. He asserts
(Disc, on Pred. p. 4) " that in the moment God
ceases to know all that is. or will be, or might be,
under any possible contingency, he ceases to be
God'* — and he admits 1hnt " whatever God fore-

42 TKS DIFFICULTIES OF

knows will undoubtedly (or certainly) come
pass"—" but the simple question, he tells us (p. 6)
is, does God know an event because it is certain.
or does his knowing it to be certain, make it cer-
tain. " Bat suppose we admit that Foreknowledge
rather proves, than cam ire certainty, and

suppose we a itb Dr, F. that God knows an

event, hecam a w\ = should be glad

to be informed, how it will help the Dr. out of his
difficulties a that var ^tions >f men, good

and bad, are fixed in infallible certainty, and are
therefore-.. foreknown? If Dr. wait the fixed

infallible certainty of man's moral conduct, he is a
predestinarian of no mean imp; and whether he
choose to ascribe this infallible ity ol future

actions to' Foreknowledge or to fate, dees not ap-
pear to be a matter of much consequence to the ar-
gument pro or con,

Besides, as the divine Foreknowledge is eternal
as the being of God, if He foreknew flic conduct
of men, ^ because ii was certain" then must all
the evil actions of men have been fixed from eter-
nity, in infallible certainty. Will Dr. Fisk inform
us, hy whom they were thus eternally and in&tlibly
fixed? Not by the creatures, unless they too were
eternal. These wicked actions could not fix them-
selves; and Dr. F. assures us (p. 5), ^^i " Fore-

AR3IINIAN METHODISM. 43

knowledge cannot in the nature of things, have
the least possible influence in making an event
certain."

A simple statement of undeniable truth, will
place this subject in its proper light. The moral
actions of men are foreknown of God, hundreds of
years before they take place. This no one can
doubt who believes the prophecies of the Scriptures*
The conduct of men, whether good or evil, is there-
fore infallibly foreknown, unless the knowledge
of God be mere conjecture. It is just as certain,
therefore, that it will agree with the divine fore-
knowledge, and be precisely what it is known to
be, as it is certain God will not and cannot mis-
take. Here then is a certainty as fixed and
infallible as any that grows out of predestination.
If we reject one of these, on this account, we must,
to be consistent, reject both. But to deny the
divine prescience, is to deny God. Thus does
Methodism in Tier rash haste, direct her course
upon the very brink of the dark abyss of Atheism.

But what is Predestination? It is the doctrine of
a plan devised and executed by a God of infinite
wisdom, goodness, and truth. In this plan man
occupies the place of a free moral agent, to whom
the divine decree secures freedom of action in its
highest sense. God has ordained that he shall be
5

44 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

possessed of liberty, and it must be so. But mari
created free either to stand or fall, abused his lib-
erty by rebelling against God and lost all that ren-
ders existence valuable — his moral purity, and his
hope of immortality * To rescue him from this
condition of hopeless misery, God has provided a
Savior, who is the " author and finisher of the
faith" that saves the soul. Every thing that a
merciful God performs for man's redemption, he
before determined (or decreed) to do. He becomes
" the author and finisher of faith" and salvation to
those who are delivered from hell. He before de-
creed or determined to become the " author and
finisher" of their redemption. This is the doctrine
of election to eternal life. But when did God first
intend to perform these acts of mercy for fallen
man? Was there ever a period when He did not
intend to redeem them? Manifestly not. This
eternal design, then, or intention to deliver immortal .
souls from death, by becoming (through Christ)
the " author and finisher of their faith," holiness,
and salvation, is the eternal decree of predestina-
tion to a life of endless bliss.

On the other hand, if fallen man live and die
impenitent, he fills up the measure of his iniquity,
and in the strong language of our Confession, is
doomed to " dishonor and wrath for his sinS' chap,

ARM mi AN METH0DIS3I. 45

ct. 7. It is right in the God of justice to doom
him. It was also right to ordain or determine to
doom him to wrath %i for his sin," It cannot be
wrong to ordain or determine to do a right thing.
Every thing which is done by the righteous Rector
of the universe, He before determined'to do. He
actually sentences the sinner to suffer for his sin:
He before decreed, ordained, or determined to do
so. And this is the villified and misrepresented
doctrine of reprobation to eternal death.

But what is the doctrine of foreknowledge upon
the same subject? God creates man and places
him in a state where he infallibly foreknows he
will be led by temptation to commit sin: Under
these circumstances man will sin as certainly and
undoubtedly as it is certain the all knowing God
cannot mistake. Man is therefore created with an
infallible certainty of sinning against God. His
righteous retribution is also infallibly foreknown.
Mail will infallibly sin and God will infallibly doom
him to wrath for his sin. All this, in the case of
every finally impenitent sinner, was as certainly
foreknown before his creation, as it is an awful fact
after his doom is sealed, or as it will be known at
the final consummation.

The sin and its punishment would as certainly
not be different from what they prove to be, as it

46 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

is impossible God should become an erring, deceiv-
ed Being. How then are the difficulties diminished
in the latter statement of the subject! In predes-
tination, the existence of sin is permitted, as the
abuse of man's free agency: In foreknowledge it
is foreseen, and not prevented. In the former, it
has a place in the universe, as a mysterious evil,
out of which God will bring ultimate good. In the
latter, it is distinctly and infallibly foreknown, and
will hold a place in the creation as certainly as
God is unerring. In predestination, God decrees
or determines to permit sin, and to punish the
wicked jfor their sin; he determines to do the very
thing, which all acknowledge it is right he should
do: In foreknowledge, He foresees infallibly the
sin of the creature, and also his own act by which
he will doom him to everlasting destruction; and
yet with this infallible certainty of man's sin and
perdition, creates him with precisely those faculties
and propensities, and places him in that state and
under those circumstances, in connection with
which his fall and ruin will as certainly be the
consequence as God is certainly omniscient. We
submit to the candid judgment of every reader,
whether those who reject predestination, while they
receive the doctrine of foreknowledge, do not
"strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel," Noi

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 47

•jeed it be thought strange to hear even preachers
of this stamp, utter sentiments with regard to the
latter, which wound the feelings and even chill the
blood of sober Christians.

But it is replied, that these are " smooth things,"
adapted to conceal from public view the odious
features of genuine predestination, and that they
are not at all the doctrine as taught in the stand-
ards of Presbyterianism, and advocated by her
most popular teachers and writers." It is a mat-
ter both of surprise and regret to find such a man
as Dr. W. Fisk giving currency to the stale slan-
ders which are abroad upon this subject, and even
descending so far as to misquote and grossly mis-
represent our Confession of Faith. Thus, in his
" Discourse on Predestination and Election," p. 15,
he cites chap. 3, sect. 5, as follows — u Those of
mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, be-
fore the foundation of the world hath chosen in
Christ unto everlasting glory, without any fore*
sight of faith or good ivories." This last clause
the Dr. has put in italics and has entirely omitted
the rest of the passage — " without any foresight of
faith or good works" — " as conditions or causes
moving him thereto" — which states simply the
fact that as all men are " by nature the children of
wrath" and merit only everlasting destruction from,
5*

48 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

the presence of the Lord, the design of mercy, the
whole plan of salvation in decree and execution,
does not flow from any merit or goodness of the
sinner, " moving Him" (God) to elect him — the
originating cause of election and the ground of the
determination to save the sinner, was not a "fore-
sight of faith or good works" for of these he
would have none until grace should bestow them:
but simply the sovereign mercy of God. And in-
deed, this seems to be the view of Dr. F. himself,
when he tells us, (p. 15,) " God did decree to elect
in Christ all that should believe unto salvation, and
this decree proceeds from his own goodness, and
is not built on any goodness of the creature." But
on the next page he abandons this sound Calvin-
ism, and seriously asserts that " the sinner is
elected because he receives Christ," which is the
same as to say, " he is elected because of some-
thing done by himself, some work of his own;" and
if Dr. Fisk admit receiving Christ to be a good
work, (and certainly it is not an evil work.) then
he is elected because of his own goodness in receiv-
ing Christ, although this writer had said, a few
lines above, that the decree to elect is not built on
any goodness of the creature! Alas! for a system
that needs to be supported by such contradictions.
Nor does the candor of this distinguished Methodist

ARMINIAX METHODISM. 49

appear in a much more favorable light when he
comes to speak of reprobation. Thus, pp. 26, 27,
" Does it come to pass that some are lost? Then
this was ordained. Was sin necessary as a pre-
tence to damn them? Then this was ordained.
They (Calvinists) must believe that God determined
to create men and angels for the express purpose
to damn them eternally. That he determined to
introduce sin, and influence men to commit sin, and
harden them in it, that they might be fit subjects
of his wrath," &c, &c, &c.

But can it be possible that Dr. Fisk is ignorant
of the fact, that while Calvinists teach that " God
hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, (Conf,
p. 321,) they also maintain a distinction between
the efficient and permissive decrees? If this writer
had ever read the book he undertakes to review,
he would have found written, with regard to the
fall of our first parents — " this their sin God was
pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel,
to permit, having purposed to order it to his own
glory." Conf. chap. 6, sect. 1. Of those who per-
ish it is said, " God was pleased to pass them by
and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their
sin" Conf. chap. 3, sect. 7. And of " those who
do never truly come to Jesus Christ," that they
u are justly left in unbelief, for their wilful ne-

50 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

gleet and contempt of the grace offered them."
Conf. p. 180. The glaring contrast between these
passages of the Westminster Confession, and the
representations (misrepresentations) of Dr. F. must
be obvious to the slightest examination. If it were
necessary, many passages could be adduced from
standard Calvinistic authors, to prove that the
doctrine of permissive decrees — of the permission
of sin, not a compidsion to sin — is the sentiment
which universally prevails. Thus Calvin, " The
will of God is the supreme and first cause of all
things, because nothing happens but by his com-
mand or permission ." Inst. b. l,ch. 16. Again,
b. 2, ch. 3, sect. 5, " We must observe this grand
point of distinction, that man, having been corrupt-
ed by his fall, sins voluntarily, not with reluctance
or constraint; with the strongest propensity of dis-
position, not with violent coercion; with the bias of
his own passions, not with external compulsion."
Again, b. 2, ch. 4, sect. 1 — 4. "Divine influence
operates two ways. For since when his light is
removed, nothing remains but darkness and blind-
ness— since when his Spirit is withdrawn, our
hearts harden into stones, He (God) is properly
said to blind, harden," &c. " Augustine," he adds,
" somewhere makes the following correct distinc-
tion, < that they sin proceeds from themselves;

ARMINIAX 3IETHODIS3I. 51

that in sinning, they perform this or that particu-
lar action, is from the power of God, who divideth
the darkness according to his pleasure*.' " Do
these things look like what Dr. Fisk calls " influ-
encing men to sin, hardening them in sin, as a pre-
tence to damn them" The doctrine of permissive
decrees is taught in the fullest manner, by Turre-
tine, Fisher, Edwards, and numerous other stand-
ard orthodox writers. Had the Dr's reading
been all on one side? That Dr. F. designs to in-
clude Presbyterians and their Confession in the
foregoing condemnation is evident, because he in-
forms us that he is combating a doctrine, upon
which " agree all the Calvinistic divines in Europe
and America. We are not Arminians.

But the Presbyterian Confession is again summon-
ed as a witness to convict us of the monstrous im-
piety laid to our charge by Dr. F. " The almighty
power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness
of God, do so far manifest themselves in His provi-
dence that it extendeth itself to the first fall and all
other sins of angels and men, and that not by a bare
permission, but such as hath joined with it a most
wise and powerful bounding, and otherwise order-
ing and governing of them in a manifold dispensa-

* See Appendix to this volume,

52 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

tion to his own holy ends." Conf. chap. 5, sect. 4.
This passage is supposed to assert such an " effi-
cient control" over the actions of men and angels,
as to represent God as the author of all their sins.
Now it might be a sufficient reply to this, simply
to quote the remainder of the section, viz. " Yet
so as the sinfulness thereof (of wicked actions)
proceedeth only from the creature, not from God."
The very section, adduced in proof that Presbyte-
rians teach that God is the author of sin, utterly
disclaims such a sentiment. Is it fair, to attempt
to prove us guilty of an impious dogma, by refer-
ing to an article which expressly disclaims it?
Further, let us insert in the body of the foregoing
article, the negative which denies its truth, and
how will it read? Thus: " The almighty power,
unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God
do not so far manifest themselves in his providence,
as to extend either to the first fall, or to any other
of the sins of angels and men, except by a bare
permission, which has not joined with it any wise
and powerful bounding, i. e. limiting or restraining;
nor does God order (or overrule) and govern them,
in a manifold dispensation to any holy end." In
the act of sin, therefore, creatures are left beyond
the reach of divine Providence; they are without
any overruling power, and beyond the limit of

AILjliyi\y METHODISM v 53

any wise and powerful restraint for holy and be-
nevolent purposes! Moreover, where there is no
?rnment, there is no lav, and where there is
no law, there is no transgression. In the act of
sin, therefore, it is impossible to sin!! in truth,
this article is only a full expression of the senti-
ment of the Psalmist — u The wrath of man shall
praise thee, and the remainder of wrath thou wilt
restrain." Do Methodists deny this!

Once more our Confession is brought to testify
against us: Thus. chap. 3, sect. 2. " Although God
knows whatsoever may or can come to pass, yet
has he not decreed any thing because he foresaw
it as future," &c. But can any person of sense
maintain the affirmative of this article, viz. " that
God has decreed many things because he foresaw
them as future?" How will it work with his posi-
tive or efficient decrees — say to make or judge the
world? Has God decreed (or determined) to do
either of these great acts, because he foresaw he
would perform them? The question answers
itself. Let us try it with his permissive decrees.
Does God foresee that he will permit certain con-
duct, and not till then, decree (or determine) to
permit it? A child would pronounce it nonsense
to talk of a Being foreseeing that he will do eer-

54 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

tain things, and then, not before, determining to do
them.

Again it is objected that our Confession of Faith
teaches that the angels and men who are predest-
inated, " are particularly and unchangeably de-
signed; and their number is so certain and definite
that it cannot be either increased or diminished."
Conf. chap. 3, sect. 4. But what is the language of
Methodism in her standard publications in refer-
ence to this subject. " I believe the eternal decree
concerning both (election and reprobation) is ex-
pressed in these words, ' he that believeth shall
be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damn-
ed.' And this decree, without doubt, God will
not change, and man cannot resist." Doct. Tracts,
p. 15. Now add to this " eternal, unchangeable,
irresistible decree," the admitted truth, that God
infallibly foreknows, individually, personally, by
name and by number, the identical persons to whom
it will secure salvation, and to whom it will secure
perdition — that the number of the saved, and the
number of the lost, are as certainly known and
marked in the divine prescience, as though that
precise number of persons had already been admit-
ted to heaven, and that other precise number been
cast down to hell — Most manifestly, then, " the

ARMIXIAN METHODISM. 55

number of the predestinated is so definite that it
cannot be either increased or diminished,"
UNLESS the divine foreknowledge be mere con-
jecture, and Fie who knows all things, has made
a mistake. " Whatever God foreknows,"' says
Dr. Fisk, " will undoubtedly (or certainly) come
to pass." He foreknows the exact number who
will believe and be saved — that exact number will
undoubtedly be saved. He foreknows the exact
number who will refuse to believe and perish —
that exact number will undoubtedly (or certainly)
perish. This argument might be extended to a
great length, at every step multiplying the embar-
rassments of our opponents. We might question
the moral honesty, and " expose the duplicity" of
those who, notwithstanding this infallible designa-
tion, on their own principles, of the number of the
saved and lost, do nevertheless urge, exhort, intreat
sinners to " flee from the wrath to come." Do
they expect to change a " fixed and infallible cer-
tainty?" Or is it " to lull the people into favor,"
&c, &c, &c? How will they, on these principles,
evince the sincerity of God, in making the offers
of salvation, where they are infallibly certain to be
despised, or his mercy in originally creating beings
who were infallibly certain to be miserable forever;
or his grace in giving his well beloved Son to die,
6

56 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

to make an atonement and purchase a salvation,
by shedding his blood for thousands, for whom
these blessings were infallibly certain to result
only in the aggravation of their unutterable wo?

Mr. Wesley, in his notes on 1 Pet. 1:2, says,
" Election in the Scripture sense, is God's doing
any thing that our merit or power have no part in."
And elsewhere, " I do not hold God chose any
man to life and salvation for any good which he
had done, or for any which which was in him be-
fore he put it there. The whole of that wdiich is
good in him, even from the first moment of his
will, being of grace not of nature." Doct. Tracts.
Again, he tells us, " God from the foundation "of
the world foreknew all men's believing or not be-
lieving. And according to this his foreknowledge
he elected all obedient believers, as such, to salva-
tion." " He elected all obedient believers, as such"
- — but how did they become " such?" Mr. W. as-
sures us that there is no good in man " till God
put it there;" and if obedient believing be any
thing good, then " He put it there" He made
them to differ. But when did God determine to
put this good thing in the heart of the sinne^ .'
Obviously he determined to do it before he did it.
And if before the act, why not from eternity:
since " known unto him are all his works from the

ARMINIAN 3IETIIODIS3I. 57

foundation of the world:" and it is supreme folly
to speak of his infallibly knowing that He would
perform an act, without his having determined (or
decreed) to perform it! It were easy to fill pages
with similar examples, where the zealous opponents
of the doctrine of election are driven by the force
of truth, to admit in substance, what they earnestly
denounce in form — an instructive proof that the
grand principles of the doctrine, laying out of view
the express declarations of Holy Writ, are founded
in the plainest conceptions of common sense.

Pressed with these and similar difficulties, the
advocates of Methodism are forced continually into
positions in argument, where the total denial of
foreknowledge is most easy, and if logically pur-
sued, inevitable; and the whole tendency of the
system is to dethrone the Great Supreme from the
government of the universe, and throw the intelli-
gent creation loose from the control of an all di-
recting Providence. The omniscient God may in-
deed foreknow the actions of his creatures, but to
circumscribe, regulate, and fix their place in his all
wise plan, is, in the view of Methodism, to divest
them of an essential attribute of free agency; and
what is monstrous, beyond conception, is to charge
the thrice Holy God with the authorship of all the
sin in the univ

59 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

LETTER III.

Atonement. Universal Salvation. Regeneration.
Evidences and Fruits.

Rev. Sir:

The subject which next demands our attention,
introduces to our notice some of the worst features
of the Arminian System.

III. The Difficulties of Methodism in connec-
tion WITH THE DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT.

Upon the importance of correct views in refer-
ence to this great central truth of the Gospel,
we need not enlarge. Error here, like disease of
the heart, will circulate its morbid influence through
every member and to every extremity of the sys-
tem. It may, therefore, be regarded as one of the
most exceptionable traits of Methodism, that in her
20th article, she is fairly chargeable with espousing
the cause of Universal Salvation. " The offering
of Christ, it is said, is that perfect redemption, pro-
pitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the
whole world, both original and actual." But if

AHMlNIxVN MKTH0D1SM. 59

tlie " whole world" was embraced in the atone-
ment, so that there was a "perfect satisfaction"
made for all the sins of all mankind, then must the
Savior have died for all the sins of the wicked,
who had perished from earth, and were in the
prison of despair, at the period of the crucifixion;
which, besides the shocking absurdity of the idea,
at once suggests the inquiry, " why then are they
compelled to suffer, since a < perfect redemption
and satisfaction' have been made for them?"

Again: If all of every description of character
have a " perfect redemption, propitiation, and satis-
faction" completed for them, how can any be lost?
Wesley, or one of his disciples, has answered,
" Because they believe not on the only begotten
Son of God." But is this unbelief, this rejecting
of Christ, a sin? If not a sin, it can do them no
harm at the great day of decision. " Nil nisi
peccatum timeo," But if it be a sin, then the arti-
cle declares that " a perfect satisfaction" has been
made " for all the sins of the whole world,"
and of course for unbelief as well as for other sin.
How then can it be a cause of perdition? If it be
just to punish this sin with everlasting torments,
after a "perfect propitiation and satisfaction" have
been made for it, it will be equally just and right
to punish all sin for which Christ died. Both law
6 #

60 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

and justice then will take the redeemed sinner by
the throat at the day of judgment, and each urge
its demand, " pay me what thou owest," as inex-
orably as though no Savior had ever suffered and
died for his salvation. "Who then can be saved?
Here then is the dilemma: If unbelief be not a
sin, it cannot be a cause of future misery — it can
do the sinner no harm. If unbelief be a sin; a
" perfect satisfaction" is made for it, as for all
sin, and still it can do the sinner no harm; unless
a sin, for which a perfect satisfaction is made and
the whole debt paid, can be again called up for satis-
faction and the debt again exacted. In the former
case, no one can be lost; in the latter, no one
can be saved. The doctrine of a " perfect satis-
faction" for all the sins of the whole world, must
land us either in Universal Salvation, or Universal
Perdition. But if Methodism still affirm that unbe-
lief is a sin, and the cause of the perdition of the
soul, we again ask, how can it be a ground of
righteous condemnation? The article declares that
all sin is atoned for by a " perfect satisfaction"
How then can the law condemn when its penalty
is perfectly paid? How can justice hold the crimi-
nal bound, after he has been perfectly redeemed?
How can the judge pronounce sentence when he
has been perfectly satisfied? Most manifestly

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 61

therefore this article, when interpreted on Metho-
dist principles, teaches the doctrine of the salvation
of all, without exception; and any attempt to
escape the difficulty will only lead to the opposite
and equally absurd extreme of the final and hope-
less ruin of the whole family of mankind.

An attempt has been made to turn the edge of this
reasoning, thus: " The question to be determined
is: Was the atonement general or particular? If
general, then Christ died for those who were in
hell when he was crucified." Desperate indeed
must be the cause, that demands the defence of
such a position! If Christ died for men in hell,
then it was to save them, or it was not. If not to
save them, for what purpose did he die for them?
The only imaginable influence his death could exert
upon the damned, was to add to their torments, by
charging the blood of the Son of God upon them.
Was this the object of his dying for them? But if
you assert he died to save them, you charge the
5* only wise God" with the folly of attempting, (at
the infinite expense of his own dear Son,) to save
those whom he had already doomed to eternal tor-
ments, and whom it was impossible to save, be-
cause He had determined them to be forever lost!
Such are some of the hopeful fruits of the dogma,
which asserts the design of the Redeemer's death

62 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

10 have been to save all, as much Cain and Judas,
as John and Paul; as much those who were in hell,
as those who inherit heaven. If to have the wisest,
and best, and most merciful designs thwarted, and
the kindest intentions and purposes disappointed of
their execution by wicked creatures, can produce
vexation and chagrin, the blessed Redeemer, on
Methodist principles, must be infinitely mortified
and miserable.

Again it has been said, in reply to the reasoning
given above, that " although a c perfect satisfac-
tion'' was made for all men, it only avails when
received by faith. Notwithstanding it teas offei'ed
for them, yet it teas not accepted for their actual
sins, (in which is included unbelief,) until men
comply with the gospel conditions," (faith and re-
pentance.) What a degrading view of the glorious
work of redemption is this! The blessed Jesus
came into this world of guilt, lived a life of sor-
rows, and died a death of infamy, "to finish the.
work" his Father had given him to do for the salva-
tion of men. " It is finished," he cried upon the
cross and gave up the ghost; the work was com-
pleted; a " perfect redemption, propitiation, and
satisfaction" were made for lost sinners. But after
all these sufferings, and sorrows, and groans, and
tears, and blood, it availeth nothing. " it is not ac-

AJiMINIAN METHODISM. 63

cepted." Why? Because men do not repent and
believe! ! He hath magnified the lav/ and made it
honorable; he hath quenched the flaming sword of
justice in his own heart's blood; God is well 'pleased
for His righteousness sake — he is exalted a Prince
and a Savior to give repentance to Israel and re-
mission of sins; and that faith which is the gift of
God, is also a blessed fruit produced by his death
and inwrought by his Spirit — hut all in vain — " it
is not accepted." Is this the scheme of salvation
revealed in the Scriptures, as the theme of glad ho-
sannas around the eternal throne? Did he so un-
derstand it, who said, "If when we wrere enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more being reconciled, wTe shall be saved by
his life. He that spared not his own Son, but free-
ly gave him up for us all, how shall he not with
him freely give us all things?" Did He so under-
stand it, who said, " I lay down my life for my
sheep, and they shall never perish, neither shall
any pluck them out of my hand." " It is God
who worketh in you, both to will and to do of his
own good pleasure;" and his people " shall be will-
ing in the day of his power." Do these passages
teach an atonement offered but not accepted!
Shall sinful man venture to reverse these promises
of Almighty God, and affirm, "Christ lays down his

64 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

life for his sheep," (or all mankind,) and thousands
of them do perish, and are plucked out of his
hand? He that spared not his own Son but freely
gave him up for us all, icill not with him freely
give us all things, — will not grant us faith and re-
pentance, the gifts of his Spirit, through the blood
of atonement. Shall a sinner, redeemed by the
omnipotent arm of Jehovah, be a bond -slave of
Satan forever? Shall He bestow the highest bless-
ing at his disposal, and deny a minor benefit? Shall
He perform the greater, but refuse the less? All
the perfections of the ever blessed God conspire to
answer, No!

Intimately connected with the unscriptural views
of atonement, just exposed, is the strange fancy of
" falling from grace." The soul may be formed
in the image of Christ, a new creature, and be-
come the temple of the Holy Ghost. She may be
interested in the " perfect redemption and satisfac-
tion" made for all her sins. She may be justified
before the righteous Judge, and have all her trans-
gressions blotted out through the tender compas-
sions of the covenant keeping God. Justice may
be satisfied, the law honored and magnified, and
the new-born spirit placed under the care of the
Great Shepherd, who ransomed her with his blood,
whose love is immutable, as his power is infinite,

AR31INIAN METHODISM. 65

But all in vain. To-day, the soul is embraced in
the arms of an Almighty Savior, bears his image,
and is sealed with his blood — to-morrow, she is
the victim of malicious fiends, exulting over her
agonies amid the horrors of eternal wo. Yester-
day, all her sins were forgiven, through a "perfect
propitiation and satisfaction" — to-day all her sins
are charged to her account; Christ's perfect atone-
ment avails not, but the dread penalty of the viola-
ted law is poured upon the head of the guilty
wretch. Yesterday, the soul was one of Christ's
sheep of whom he has said, " they shall never perish
— / know them and they follow me'" — to-day, it
is one of those to whom he says, " Depart ye
cursed, I never knew ?/o?/." Yesterday she was
acquitted and accepted as of the number of the
" good, whose steps are ordered by the Lord, who,
though they fall, shall rise again; they shall not
be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth them
with his hand," (Ps. 37^23, 24)— to-day, she is
found guilty, rejected as vile, and falls to rise no ■
more!

It need scarcely be said that such views of the
perfection and efficacy of Christ's " finished work,"
are no less dishonorable to God, than dangerous
and discouraging to men. " If I could believe
these things* says the venerable Dr Miller, I must

66 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

consider the character of God as dishonored; his
counsels as degraded to a chaos of wishes and en-
deavors; his promises as the fallible and uncertain
declarations of circumscribed knowledge and end-
less doubt; the best hopes of the Christian as lia-
ble every hour to be blasted, and the whole plan of
salvation as nothing better than a gloomy system
of possibilities and peradventures; a system, on the
whole, nearly, if not quite, as likely to land the
believer in the abyss of the damned, as in the
paradise of God."

A still further difficulty presses upon this unfor-
tunate article of Methodist faith. It represents the
ever blessed God in a light, in which it is impossi-
ble to shield his character from the charge of cru-
elty and injustice, it is assuredly with no design
to retort the criminations of those, who, in assailing
Calvinism from the pulpit and the press, ring the
changes upon these words, that we make the above
assertion. We believe it can be fairly and logi-
cally substantiated, that the doctrine of universal
atonement, as taught by Methodists, implies a foul
aspersion upon the character of Jehovah. For,
notwithstanding her avowed belief of a " perfect
redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all
the sins of the whole world,5' Methodism teaches
that thousands of the human family will be driven

ARM1NIAN METHODISM. 67

away into unquenchable fire, to satisfy divine jus-
tice for sins for which there is already paid a 'per-
fect satisfaction by the all perfect Savior. In
other words, that a God of infinite mercy, after his
holy law and his impartial justice have been
" perfectly" satisfied for all sin, will demand ever-
lasting sufferings of the sinner, as a further satis-
faction; which is, to require a double payment of
the debt; the first made by Christ, full and perfect,
yet so imperfect, as to require the sufferings of the
sinner to all eternity to complete it — a satisfaction
(made perfect by Christ) which does not satisfy;
and the sinner is condemned to suffer forever to
make perfection perfect; a perfect satisfaction,
which shall be perfectly satisfactory!

Again: It is not denied, that it was infallibly
known to Christ, when about to "die the accursed
death," that many would not be saved by his sacri-
fice; but. that their guilt and punishment would be
greatly aggravated, if his blood were charged to
their account. What then can be more revolting
to every right feeling, than to suppose that the
blessed Savior, in that awful and tender hour,
when he poured out his soul an offering for sin-
ners, was performing for thousands that which he
infallibly foreknew would be of no real benefit to
them, but only sink them down under tenfold ven-
7

§& THE DIFFICULTIES OF

geance to the prison of despair? If this is what
Methodism terms thefreeness of grace and the ful-
ness of divine mercy in the universal atonement,
truly her " tender mercies are cruel." These,
Rev. Sir, are some of the beauties of that system
which is so arrogantly extolled as superior to all
other forms of religion? " Consistency is a jew-
el," which Methodism seems resolved shall never
glitter in her diadem.

What then is the doctrine of atonement
taught in the Scriptures? It is that Christ is " the
Savior of all men, especially of them that believe."
He is the Savior of all — his sacrifice secured im-
portant benefits not only to this world but to the
universe. It was an illustrious monument of the
divine justice and hatred of sin, and the highest
display of infinite grace and mercy. The subjects
of God's universal empire looked on and drank in
lessons of everlasting wisdom. He is the Savior
of all — the exalted character of the Divine victim
and the intensity of his sufferings impart a value
to the atonement sufficient for a thousand worlds.
He is the Savior of all, hut not in the same sense.
in which he is " especially the Savior of them that
believe." The work of obedience, suffering, and
death, has been well and fully performed, — the sa-
crifice of " the Lamb of God" possesses a sufficiency

ARMENIAN 3IETIIODIS3I. 69

more than commensurate with the ruin and curse
introduced by sin. On the ground of this sufficien-
cy the Gospel proclaims — "Ho! every one that thirst -
eth — Whosoever will, let him come, all things are
now ready/' The sinner hears this call of mercy
and despising its invitation, dies a suicide. The
gates of mercy were open, and he will have no
just cause of complaint, if, whilst turning his back
upon the glories of heaven, and freely choosing
the road to ruin, his will was not subdued by the
Spirit of grace, nor he "compelled to come in."
No principle of truth or justice will be violated in
permitting the rebel, in the exercise of perfect free-
dom, to make such a disposition of his time, talents,
and active powers, as was most agreeable to him-
self; nor in inflicting deserved punishment for per-
version and abuse of distinguished mercies. if
others are "made willing in the day of divine pow-
er"— if "God works in them both to will and to do
of his good pleasure," it is an act of infinite grace
to them, but of no imaginable injury to those that
perish — they remain precisely where they were,
and would have been, if God had performed no act
of power to make others willing to be reconciled and
restored to his favor. If this be " partiality," show
the injustice or the caprice implied in the charge.
If God has "a risht to do what he will with his 07/.*??/a

70 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

there is no injustice: if he may, for wise reasons
in his eternal mind, elect the objects of his infinite
charity, there is no caprice. " Who art thou that
repliest against God." But our object is to be brief.

IV. The Difficulties of Methodism, upon the sub-
ject of Regeneration, and the Evidences of a

CHANGE OF HEART.

That this is a subject of immense importance is
obvious to all. Conformity to the divine pattern is
the only method to ensure either comfort or safety to
the soul. This will strike conviction to the heart of
the secure and careless, encourage the feeble Chris-
tian, confirm the wavering, and expose the hypo-
crite; but forsaking this infallible guide, wre must in-
evitably wander into the most extravagant forms of
delusion. Indeed, upon correctness in this matter
are suspended the peace, purity, and genera] welfare
of the Christian church. How then is this subject
treated among Methodists? Enter their houses of
worship, attend their camp meetings, class meetings,
&c, and truly it will demand a discerning eye to
discover the feeblest resemblance to the humility,
meekness, docility, acquaintance with Scripture, and
knowledge of the human heart and the Christian
warfare, required by the Savior and his apostles.
Inquire of their converts the evidence of a saving

ARM INT AX METHODISM. 71

change; and instead of that clear, intelligent dis-
closure' of the operations of the divine Spirit in
awaking, convincing, humbiing, persuading, and
pointing to a Redeemer's blood, you will receive a
confused statement of "getting religion," amid loud
noise, confusion of tongues, praying, singing, and
swooning, (more like a religious Babel than the city
of God,) through the whole range of fanaticism.
Investigate still further, the ground of their hope,
and you will receive, not a statement of Christian
faith, a simple, consolatory, heart-purifying de-
pendence upon the atoning blood and perfect right-
eousness of Christ, but a declaration of bold assu-
rance, of self-confidence, and many unequivocal
signs of a deceived heart. Instead of self-know-
ledge, a deep acquaintance with the errors, corrup-
tions, and various devices of the human heart, you
will hear of Christian perfection and a continual
willingness to die. Instead of a meek reliance upon
the Savior's merits and the Spirit's aid, you will be
told that " God is merciful, and if I only persevere
and keep straight on in the path of duty, God will
continue to bless me in prayer, and all will be well
at last."

The extensive prevalence in that denomination
of the most mischievous errors respecting the new
birth, flows principally from the defective and un-

*72 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

scriptural representations made by. their religious
teachers. What, for example, is better adapted to
mislead a serious inquirer, than the following state-
ments respecting faith. " Faith necessarily im-
plies an assurance that Christ loved me and gave
himself for me." Wes. Serm., vol. 1, p. 209.
Again: " Whoever has a sure confidence in God,
that through the merits of Christ his sins are for-
given, he is a child of God" Doct. Tracts, p. 300.
In the first passage, the young or feeble Christian
is told, that until he has afull assurance of forgive-
ness, he remains an enemy of God; and in the se-
cond, the formalist and hypocrite who have worked
themselves into a strong confidence of the divine
favor, are assured that they are children of God.
Under such instruction with regard to the " fruits of
the Spirit," we need not be surprised at the grossest
mistakes respecting his gracious work upon the
heart.

Nor is the doctrine of " grace," as taught in
that denomination, a whit better adapted to foster
aught but a spurious piety. In reply to the asser-
tion that " God might justly have passed by all
men," Wesley says, " Are you sure he might?
I cannot find it in the word of God. Therefore I
reject it as a bold, precarious assertion." " That
God might justly, for my unfaithfulness to his

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 73

grace have given me up long ago, I grant; but this
supposes me to have had that grace," &c. Doct.
Tracts, p. 25. Which is the same as to say, that
God could not justly have punished mankind with-
out providing a Savior, and through him, sufficient
grace for them — that although it will be just in
him to punish for " unfaithfulness to his grace,"
yet to inflict the penalty of his broken law, without
first providing grace for sinners, would be unjust.
In other words, that God's infinite grace in giving
his only begotten Son, was not an act of grace at
all, but an act of simple justice! Could any thing
be more suited to cherish pride and self-sufficiency
in the human heart?

What Christian mind but will revolt, and even
shudder whilst perusing the following passage
from the same volume. Speaking of Christian
perfection, u We know," says the writer, " that
God may, with maris good leave, cut short his
work, in whatever degree he pleases, and do the
usual work of many years in a moment." We
submit to every candid and intelligent man, whether
the spiritual teaching, of which the above is a
specimen, may not, a priori, be expected to pro-
duce, not the fair and glorious lineaments of the
image of God, but a monstrous abortion of every
thing like genuine piety. Nor will the authorized

A&-

74 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

test, of such religion, be more rational and Scriptu-
ral than the thing itself.

Upon this topic, associated so intimately with
all our hopes of immortality, the following extracts
from the work of President Edwards, on Religious
Affections, are directly in point. It may be proper
to premise, that the illustrious author of this work
was not one of those, who, congealed in frigid or-
thodoxy, admit the form but deny the power of
vital piety. On the contrary, he was most exten-
sively engaged in those great revivals, which in his
day blessed the earth, and wras himself a principal
instrument in those thrilling displays of divine
power then exhibited. The favorable opinion of
his ministerial character, entertained by Mr. Wes-
ley, may be learned from page 402, vol. 3, of his
Sermons. Speaking of " the v/onderful work of
God in New England/' Mr. W. says, " It began
in Northampton, and in a little time appeared in
adjoining towns. A particular and beautiful ac-
count of this was published by Mr. Edwards, min-
ister of Northampton. Many sinners were deeply
convinced of sin, and many truly converted to God.
I suppose there had been no instance in America
of so swift and deep a work of grace for a hundred
years before; nay, nor perhaps since the English
settled there." What then were the lessons of

ARMIN1AN METHODISM. 75

wisdom which this devoted and successful servant
of Christ gleaned from the field of experience?
(We quote from the edition of his works published
in New York, 1830.)

1. Great affections. — " It is no evidence that
religious affections are of a spiritual nature that
they are great; as is manifest in the case of the
Israelites at the Red Sea and Mount Sinai, who
soon forgot his works. Great multitudes were af-
fected with the miracle of raising Lazarus, and
were elevated to a high degree, and made a mighty-
stir when Jesus soon after entered Jerusalem. But
Christ had at this time but few disciples, and how
quickly was their fervor at an end? How soon is
the cry changed from hosanna, hosanna, to crucify
him, crucify him?" pp. 38, 39.

2. Much forwardness of conversation about
religion, — " This may be from a good cause or
from a bad one. False affections, if they are
equally strong, are much more forward to declare
themselves, than true; because it is the nature of
false religion to affect show and observation; as it
was with the Pharisees. Hence a man sometimes
covertly commends himself, and tells you a long
story of conversion. Why the secret meaning is,
i I prav admire me.' Hence he complains of

76 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

wants and weaknesses: ' I pray think what a bro-
ken-hearted Christian I am.' " p. 44.

3. " The poicer of Satan, may be as immediate
and as evident in false comforts and joys, as in
terrors and horrid suggestions. And where neither
a good nor evil spirit has any immediate hand,
persons, especially such as are of a weak and va-
pory habit, may have strange apprehensions and
imaginations, and strong affections attending them,
unaccountably arising, which are not voluntary."
p. 48.

4. " The unmortified corruption of the heart
may quench the Spirit of God, (after he has been
striving,) and lead men to presumptuous and self-
exalting hopes and joys, as well as otherwise.'*
p. 62.

5. " An overbearing, high-handed, and violent
sort of confidence, affecting to declare itself
with a most glaring show in the sight of
men, has not the countenance of a Christian assu-
rance. It savors more of the spirit of the Pharisees,
who never doubted that they were most eminent
saints, and were bold to thank God for the great
distinction he had made between them and others.
And when Christ intimated that, they were blind
and graceless, they despised the suggestion* • Are
we blind also?" " p. 74-

ARMIMaTn METHODISM. 7,

] hypocrite's hope. — ;- When once a
ocrite is established in a false hope, he has not
as many occasions of doubt as the true saint. 1st.
He has nor the same cautious spirit, the dread of
being deceived: 2d. He has not the knowledge of
his own blindness, and the mean opinion of his
own understanding, that the true saint has: 3d.
The devil does not assault his hope as he does the
hope of a true saint: 4th. He has not the same view
of his own corruption: a false hope hides corruption,
covers it all over, and the hypocrite seems clean
and bright in his own eyes. Oftentimes persons of
this kind are led away by impulses and imagined
revelations. A strong confidence is with them the
highest virtue. Hence they are bold to say, < I
know this or that — I know certainly — lam as sure
as that I have a being' — and the like: and they de-
spise all argument and inquiry into the case." pp.
7 5. 76.

7. The appearance of some external shape. — -
- Some have had lively ideas of some external-
shape and beautiful form of countenance: And this
thev call spiritually seeing Christ. Some have
had impressed upon them ideas of great light; of
Christ hanging upon the cross, and his blood run-
ning from his wounds: of a beautiful countenance
smi 3D them, &c, &e. But these things are

78 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

owing rather to weakness of body and mind than
to spiritual operations. Nor is the image of Christ,
which men conceive in their imaginations, at all
superior in kind to the idea the Papists conceive of
Christ, by the beautiful and affecting images which
they see in their churches." pp. 107, '8, '9.

8. The hearing of voices* — " Satan is trans-
formed into an angel of light. Hence some have
heard voices; some have seen the very blood of
Christ dropping on them, and seen the wounds in
his side,* some have seen a great light shining in
the chamber; some in great distress have had in-
ward witness, " thy sins are forgiven thee;" and
hence such liberty and joy that they are ready to
leap up and down the chamber. Thus natural
men would fain see Jesus, and have him present
to give them peace, just as the Papists have his
images. Wo to them that have no other manifest-
ed Christ." p. 109.

9. The affections of hypocrites. — " They are
first much affected with some impression upon their
imagination, or some impulse, which they take to
be a testimony from God, of his love and their
happiness. They fancy a high privilege in some
respect, either with or without a text of Scripture;
they are mightily taken with this as a great dis=
covery; and hence arise high affections, which they

AKtfZNXAN METHODISM. 79

call great and wonderful experiences; and they
have a notion that God is greatly pleased with those
affections. This affects them still more. Thus
their affections rise higher and higher, until they
are sometimes perfectly swallowed up; also, self-
conceit aad fierce zeal rise; and all is built, like a
castle in the air, on nothing but imagination, self-
love, and pride." p. 139.

10. The talk of hypocrites. — " As are their
thoughts, so is their talk. They speak much about
their experiences and the greatness of their attain-
ments. The true saint will speak much of God,
his glorious perfections and works, the beauty and
amiableness of Christ; and the glorious things of
the Gospel. But hypocrites talk more of the dis-
covery than of the thing discovered. They are full
of talk about the wonderful discoveries they have
had, how sure they are of the love of God to them,
how safe their condition is, how they know they
shall go to heaven, &e." p. 139.

11. Self-knowledge. — " The high affections of
many are built on the supposition of their being
eminent saints. If that opinion of themselves were
taken away; if they thought they were some of
the lower form of saints, their high affections would
fell to the ground. If they saw only a little of the
sin ful ness and vilenes^ of their own heart.?, and

80 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

their deformity in their best duties, it would destroy
their affections. Because they are built on self3
self-knowledge would destroy them." p. 140.

12. Enthusiasm. — " All imaginary sights of
God, and Christ, and heaven: all supposed witness-
ing of the Spirit, by immediate inward suggestion:
all impressions of future events: all impressions
and applications of Scripturer as though they were
words now immediately spoken by God to a par-
ticular person, in a new meaning and carrying
something more in them than they contain as they
lie in the Bible; these are all to be referred to the
head of impressions on the imagination, and con-
sist not in a divine sense and relish of the heart
for the holy beauty and excellency of divine things,
But such sort of experiences and discoveries com-
monly raise the affections of such as are deluded
by them to a great height, and make a mighty up-
roar in both soul and body; and men, especially
the common people, are easily bewitched with
such things; they have such a glaring and glisten-
ing show of high religion." p. 168.

These are only a specimen. The work abounds
with similar passages, which, although published
about the middle of the last century, and of course
before the abuses of Methodism had attracted very
much notice in this country, seem as if written in

AKXTNIAK METHODISE. 81

the Spirit of prophecy, to brand the wide-spread
delusions of that system, and to lift up a standard
against the overwhelming flood of wild-fire, enthu-
siasm, and extravagance, which is threatening to
submerge the world.

These errors on the great doctrine of Regenera-
tion, we, Rev. Sir, consider highly dangerous.
They have been presented as plainly and forci-
bly as was in my power; but without any design
to give unnecessary pain. May the " Author of
every good and perfect gift" defeat all that is
wrong, and abundantly bless and prosper whatever
is agreeable to his holv will.

82 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

LETTEE XV.

Sinless Perfection. Characteristics of a Work
of the Spirit.

Rev. Sir:

Connected with the topic last discussed, as an
effect with its cause, the doctrine of Perfection
comes next under review.

V. The Difficulties of Methodism, in reference
to "Sinless Perfection."

We shall be met at the threshold of this discus-
sion with a stout denial that this is a doctrinal
characteristic of the system. It is a matter both
of surprise and regret that the advocates of Meth-
odism should seem to expose themselves to the
charge of a want of candor in the occasional de-
bates which take place upon this question. Would
it ever be imagined by an honest, upright, consci-
entious man, that when it is so often and so vehe-
mently denied that Methodists maintain the doc-

mixtan ::etiiodis3I. B3

trine ::ion,v all the.: '-% is*

that they reject the phraseology, the words, not
that they do d and teach the sc

Yet that this is th ity, is proved by a

reference to th : . C(r We

are all agreed we may 11 sin be-

fore death: th: en all sinful tempers and de-

wn Christians a:
perfect as to be freed fire

se can say, I am cruci
Christ, nevertheless I live, oc:.: hat mani-

festly live rant well

•?m outward sin." D '293,

'296. These

h as we are told in the advertisement, was
.".ally bound and publisl rm of

■line, and is bow "stereotyp .'." for 'he be-
nefit of the chu:- Many parallel pass
might be added, from the Sermc - and
others, but these will enable us to understand what
is meant when •• rimed
with so much vehemence.

: perhaps no publication, :cepl the

writings of the first apostle of Methodism, is
popular among modern i ban the lal

and super. ... fl .:. which

" Che omianism:" the object of which

5 a

84 THE DIFFICULTIES OP

is to cry down Calvinism by an unpopular epithet*
It is a fact, strictly analagous to past experience of
human weakness and fallibility, that those who
urge this unfounded charge of Antinomian tenden-
cies are themselves most guilty. This truth is
aptly illustrated in the doctrine under review. It
is not that these perfectionists imagine they live
without transgressing the u moral law," but they
regard it as no longer in force. Christians are not
under law, but under grace-— -under a milder code
of legislative requirement than the decalogue — a
form of obligation suited to man's impaired ability
— brought down to his caDacitv as a fallen crea-
ture, and to which he may and can yield a perfect
obedience, and is therefore sinlessly perfect*
Hear upon this topic the standards of Methodism,
pp. 123, 124: « Christ is the end of the law— I.
The Mosaic law; 2. The Adamic law — called the
law of works, which required that man should use
to the glory of God, all the powers with which he
was created, and which was proportioned to his
original powers, and required that he should al-
ways think, speak, and act precisely right, in
every point whatever." " He was well able to do
so, and God could not but require the service he
was able to pay." Then what follows? Why,
" Adam fell;" and in consequence, " no man is abl©

ARMINIAN 5IETHODIS3I. $5

to perform the sen-ice which the Adamic law re-
quires." And now for the conclusion: " And no
man is obliged to perform it. God doth not re-
quire it of any man. Christ is the end of the
Adamic as well as the Mosaic law. By his death
he put an end to both. He hath abolished both
the one and the other, with regard to man; and
the obligation to observe either the one or the other
is vanished away. Nor is any man living bound
to observe the Adamic more than the Mosaic law."
This I should suppose is Antinomianism of suffi-
cient " proof" to suit the appetite of the grossest
devotee of sensuality. This is the modern method
of perfection — not by ascending the steep of moral
obligation, but by bringing the requirements of the
divine law down to a level with the sinner's con-
venience!

But as if to render the doctrine ridiculous and
absurd, as well as licentious, Wesley, in his
" Plain Account of Christian Perfection," defines it
" the loving God with all our heart, mind, soul,
and strength. This implies," he says, " that no
wrong temper, none contrary to love, remains in
the soul: and that all the thoughts, words, and ac-
tions are governed by pure love." But what more
than this does the moral law require? Could
Adam before his fall do more than this? Can

86 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

saints and angels in heaven? Yet he admits that
a perfect Christian is not freed from " infirmities,
ignorance, and mistake," but " where every word
and action springs from love, a mistake is not pro-
perly sin;" still he farther assures us, these sinless
mistakes " need the atoning blood." Such is a
fair specimen of the jargon every where current
among the followers of this great Arminian!

Be it remembered, therefore, that although " no
man living is obliged to observe" the moral law;
yet " Christian perfection" surpasses the limits of
moral obligation, and performs works of superero-
gation, more than can righteously be demanded.
Every perfect Methodist " loves God with all his
heart, soul, mind, and strength," and " all his
thoughts, words, and actions, are governed by
pure love;" and nothing more was ever required
by the " moral law."

The doctrine, which we have thus endeavored
to state, as nearly as possible in the words of its
advocates, would seem to carry with it its own re-
futation, and it would appear to be altogether a
work of supererogation to enter into any further
argument to prove its folly. Profound indeed
must be the ignorance of the purity, perfection,
and spirituality of the divine law, and great must
be the inattention to the plain statements of the

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 87

Scriptures, which will admit such a sentiment into
a theological system! "In many things we offend
all" — or all are chargeable with sin. James 3:2.
What is man that he should be clean, or he that
is born of a woman that he should be righteous."
Job 15:14. "There is not a just man on earth that
doeth good and sinneth not." Eccies. 7:20. "For
there is no man that sinneth not." 1 Kings 8:48.
And in chap. 9:20, Job asserts, " If 1 say I am
perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." Paul
also, speaking of himself, says, " Not as though I
were already perfect" Phil. 3:12. We have rea-
son to suspect that neither of these ancient wor-
thies knew any thing about " sinless perfection."
" The perfect Christian, according to the repre-
sentations of Holy Writ, is he who continually as-
pires to universal holiness of heart and life; uni-
formly and habitually endeavoring u to stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God:" who
daily and fervently prays, like the apostles, for
increase of faith, and strenuously labors to add
to his faith, virtue; to virtue, knowledge; to know-
ledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience;
and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, bro-
therly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, chari-
ty." Such was Job, and such was Paul; each of

88 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

whom would nevertheless willingly confess, " not
as though I were already perfect."

Still further: If one person could be found in a
perfectly sinless state, there would be one excep-
tion to the use of that universal prayer, taught by
our Lord himself, in which, while we are instructed
to say, " Give us this day our daily bread" we
are required with no less frequency, to implore
forgiveness of our " trespasses as we forgive those
who trespass against us." There wTould be one
who could say, I have no sin daily committed,
why should I supplicate daily forgiveness. Thus
is the commandment of the Most High God made
of none effect by the traditions of men.

And what is even more revolting to every Chris-
tian feeling- — If the wise King of Israel were now
on earth, and should utter that humble acknow-
ledgment, "There is not a just man on earth that
doeth good and sinneth not," many a Methodist
would start from his seat to correct his error, and
erase the line from the records of inspiration. Yes!
whatever Solomon may have thought, there are
now just men on earth who can kneel in the pre-
sence of God, and thank him that they love him
as fervently and constantly as they ought, and
obey him as perfectly as they ought; and this too
hi direct defiance of their own article, which as-.

ARMIMAN METHODISM. 89

serts that " good works cannot endure the severity
of God's judgment," Art. 10. We, Rev. Sir, had
been accustomed to think that such were the
" height, and depth, and length, and breadth" of
the love of Christ which passes knowledge, and
such the imperfection and corruptions of the body
of this death, that no mortal man would return to
the Savior a love as strong, and constant, and fer-
vent as he ought — but it seems we labored under a
mistake. We had forgotten those perfect Chris-
tians, who had they lived in the days of Isaiah,
when as yet the prophecy was not sealed up, must,
for the credit of divine truth, have proposed an
amendment in the G4th chapter — " TT~<e are all as
an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags — excepting a few very good people
called 3Iethodists"

But in reply to the numerous express declara-
tions of the writers of the Old Testament in oppo-
sition to this doctrine, Wesley affirms that " they
lived under a dispensation greatly inferior to the
Christian, and that nothing can be argued from
their confessions of universal sin. Christ too tells
us, Matt. 11:11, -Among them that are born of
en, there hath
: aptist-^ xiotwithstandk : is least i

■;, (viz, the Gospel dispensation.;

90 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

is greater than he." This passage he interprets as
referring to a degree of personal holiness, greater
than belonged to any of the ancient people of God.
But could it have been really the opinion of Mr.
AY. that " the least" or feeblest and most imper-
fect Christian in Gospel times, is a more holy and
heavenly minded person than were David, and
Job, and Isaiah? Will any sensible Methodist
avow such a sentiment? Dr. Clarke, in his note
on the passage, says, " that it is not in holiness
or devotedness to God, that the least in the king-
dom is greater than John, but that it is merely in
the difference of the ministry " The testimony of
this distinguished Methodist is true.

Nor do these great leaders of the Methodist host
harmonize much better in their views of James 3:2,
" If any man offend not in word, the same is a
perfect man" Wesley quotes this text to prove
the doctrine of "Christian perfection." But Dr.
Clarke says, " the words perfect man mean, a
man fully instructed in divine things — an adult
Christian — one thoroughly instructed in the doc-
trims of the Gospel." And to show conclusively
how absurd It is to employ this text in proof of
" Christian perfection," Dr. C. adds, " how a
man's cautiousness in what he says can be a proof
that he has every passion and appetite under con*

AJttOKlASI METHODISM. 91

fro/, I cannot see." According to this, a man
may indulge all the bad passions in his heart; if
he can only manage to conceal them, and not of-
fend in word, he is a perfect Christian!

These distinguished men, however, seem to
combine their efforts, when they come to parry the
point of the argument drawn from James 8:2.
The substance of what they have to say is, " that
this text proves nothing against sinless perfection,
although the apostle does assert, ' in many things
we offend all;'' for if the apostle includes himself
in the pronoun ice, he must also include himself
when, speaking of the tongue, he says, ' There-
with bless we God, and therewith curse ice men.1
We cannot suppose James was guilty of cursing. "
But a little attention will show the futility of this
reasoning. In the first passage, James says, " we
offend all,'* or we all offend— are guilty of breaking
God's law in many things. But James dees not
say, " With the tongue we all bless God, and ice
all curse men."' Every one familiar with the
common forms of speech, knows that the pronoun
tee is often employed to denote a general prevalence
of any thing, or a prevailing tendency, or liability,
among men. But could the truth-speaking God
have said, that " ice all sin in many things," if
it were true, that many men do not sin in any
9

9*2 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

thing? y [f we," says the last of the apostles, "if
we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us-'3

We will close this investigation with the follow-
ing extract from Wesley's Sermons, which, after
what has been said, will, doubtless occasion both
surprise and gratification. " With this conviction
of the sin remaining in our hearts," says Mr. W.,
" there is joined a clear conviction of the sin re-
maining in our lives, and cleaving to all oar words
and, actions. In the best of these we now discern
a mixture of evil, either in the spirit, matter, or
manner of them: Something that could not en-
dure the righteous judgment of God, were he ex-
treme to mark what is done amiss. Where we
least of all suspected it, we find a taint of pride or
self-will, of unbelief or idolatry; so that we are
now more ashamed of our best duties? than for-
merly of our worst sins: and hence we cannot but
feci, that these are so far from having any thing
meritorious in them, yea so far from being able
to stand in the sight of the divine justice, that for
those also we should be guilty before God, were it
not for the blood of the covenant." Serm. vol. I,
p. 212. You are ready, I am persuaded, Rev.
Sir, to exclaim with me, " Can it be possible that
this truly Scriptural passage was dictated by the

ASMINIAN METHODISM. 93

same mind, and transcribed by the same pen that
originated the strange incoherencies of " sinless
perfection?" We pass to the sixth head of difficulties,

VI. The Difficulties of Methodism with refe-
rence to the Characteristics of a genuine
Work of the Holy Spirit.

She encourages her followers to place much
confidence in certain wild and disorderly proceed-
ings which, as they are at an infinite remove from
the " reasonable service" of true piety, so are they
expressly condemned by the Wesleys and others,
the wisest and best of the sect. Reference is here
had to those scenes of confusion so common in that
denomination — jumping, falling, screaming, swoon-
ing, shouting glory, glory, glory, clapping the
hands, &c. With these exercises, nature is, in
frequent instances, completely exhausted; the per-
son lies in a state of collapse for many hours, and
is said to be highly favored with the overpowering
influences of the Spirit. Some are seen ascending
saplings, or whatever object stands most conve-
nient, " climbing up to heaven to see Jesus."
Others are engaged in laughing, throwing back the
body, swinging the arms at full sweep, rolling on
the ground, &c.I &e., &c. To work the minds of

94 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

the people up to such a pitch of phrenzy (I can
call it nothing else) is manifestly a principal object
at camp-meetings, and a main design of all the
machinery of enthusiasm employed upon such oc-
casions. But let any intelligent reader of the
Scriptures pause for a moment, and ask himself —
" Where do we find examples of all this in the
Bible?" Is it in the case of Saul of Tarsus? But
even he was not bereft of his senses or presence of
mind, for he conversed intelligently with Jesus; nor
was he converted until three days after meeting
with Christ on the way to Damascus, when visited
by Ananias by divine direction. Besides, let
Methodism exhibit the appearance of the Son of
God in the brightness of his glory, a similar mirac-
ulous splendor, the same supernatural voice, and
we will believe her prostrations to be caused by the
same power which struck with consternation the
persecuting Saul. Indeed we may safely chal-
lenge the advocates of this system to produce a so-
litary example of conversion, under the preaching
of Christ and his apostles, bearing even a distant
resemblance to the jumping, jerking, falling down,
rolling on the ground, clapping of hands, loud
laughing, and swooning away into a senseless or
pulseless condition, which are such frequent and
distinguishing characteristics of Methodism. But

ARMIXIAN METHODI 93

perhaps the Savior and his apostles were not such
powerful preachers as some of the present ck

It is not intended to follow the defenders of these
exercises, in their attempts to enlist the Bible in
favor of u confusion and every evil work*'5 A
specimen or two of their logic, is all that our limits
will permit: For example-, they quote a number
of passages containing the word "rejoice, shout.
shout aloud," &c, but they forget that an equal
number of texts mar be adduced, exhorting u%o
keep silence, be still,*' &c. The strong hrr
of such passages is best explained by others, such
as Ps. 63:8 — " The mountains and the hills shall
break forth before you into singing, and all the trees
of the field shall clap their hands.'' In like man-
ner, when they cite various texts which represent
persons as "leaping and walking, leaping for joy,
falling down on the face," vSrc, (See, they have only
shown, what no one will question, "that the ex-
pressions of submission, homage, and reverence,
always have been, and still are, carried to a great
degree of extravagance in the Eastern countries.*'
So also dancing was a common act of devotion un-
der the Old Testament dispensation, but did Christ
and his apostles ever dance ! But perhaps the
most singular specimen of reasoning from Scrip-
ture in defence of these extravagancies of Metho-
9 -

96 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

dism, remains to be stated. A writer refers to the
scenes of Pentecost, when some said of the Apostles,
" these men are full of new wine," and sagely ar-
gues thus — "Now as drunken men are generally
' wild and disorderly' there must have been some-
thing in the proceedings of those referred to, thai
induced their beholders to conclude they were
drunk!" This, we believe, out-Methodises Metho-
dism! The apostles acted in such a manner as led
the people to think they icere drunk! Camp and
quarterly meetings will not stand in the compari-
son— no person ever suspects their extravagance
to be the fruit of intoxication. But is it possible
this authorized interpreter of Holy Writ, can dis-
cover no other pretext for the charge of drunkenness
made against the apostles, than that they behaved
as if they were drunk! Has it entirely escaped
his notice that they were empowered to speak in
languages different from their vernacular tongue?
And that being known as Jews of the common
sort, they were supposed to be uttering the inco-
herent ravings of intemperance, to those who under-
stood them not? This solution is at least rather
more respectful to that sacred impulse by which
they spake, than the supposition that the apostles
acted like drunken men!

ARMIXIA?i METHODISM. Wi

The effects produced by the tremendous enginery
of conversion, employed upon the great occasions,
are surprising only because they are so small.
Preaching, praying, singing, loud vociferation,
earnest exhortation, many tears — all mingled to-
gether and vehemently enforced with violent gestic-
ulation— great exhaustion of bodily strength and
consequent derangement of the nervous system —
the darkness and gloom of the scenery at night,
contrasting with the bright reflection from numer-
ous gleaming fires — the oft repeated representation
of the judgment day, as exhibited in the separation
of those who crowd the altar, from those who are
left without — these and a thousand other devices to
strike the imagination, render it only a matter of
surprise, that among the mixed multitude who
flock to camp-meetings, so few are sufficiently de-
ranged in body and bewildered in mind to go
through the exercises of camp conversion. Exam-
ples indeed are not uncommon of persons being
caught in this whirlwind of the passions, and after-
wards confessing with shame that they were totally
beside themselves and knew not what they were
doing. That such measures are at least as well
adapted to promote the cause of error and fanati-
cism, as that of truth and righteousness, is evident.
The Rev. Dr. Miller, in his letters to Presbyterians,

98 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

states the fact "that one of the far famed fanatical
Unitarians, called Chrystians, boasted that he had
drawn at least fifty persons to anxious seats, mere-
ly by the influence of his own singing" — an agent,
as is well known, of vast power in Methodism.
And doubtless a large proportion of what is called
mourning and conversion in that denomination is
to be traced to a cause equally removed from "the
truth as it is in Jesus."

But what say the wisest and best of the frater-
nity upon these subjects! Mr. John Fletcher, author
of the Checks, thus writes to Charles Wesley,
under date of Nov. 2, 1762: "I have heard the
melancholy news of many of our brethren over-
shooting sober and steady Christianity in London.
Oh! that I could stand in the gap and by sacrificing
myself shut this immense abyss of enthusiasm.
The corruption of the best things is the worst of
corruption. Allowing but half of the report is true,
the rest shows that spiritual pride, presumption,
arrogance, stubbornness, party spirit, uncharitable-
ness, prophetic mistakes — in short every sinew of
enthusiasm is at work." The following are the
words of Charles Wesley upon the same subject?
" To-day one came, who was pleased to fall into a
fit for my entertainment. He beat himself heartily.
I thought it a pity to hinder him; so instead of

▲ RMIXXAX METHODISM. 99

singing over him, as had often been done, we leu
him to recover at his leisure. A girl as she be-
gan to cry, I ordered io be carried cut; her convul-
sions were so violent as to take away the use of her
limbs, till they laid her without at the door, when
she immediately found her legs and xr allied off.
Some very unstill sisters, who all took care to stand
near me and tried who could cry the loudest, have
been as quiet as lambs, since I have had them re-
moved out of my sight. The first night I preach-
ed there, half my words were lost through their
outcries. Last night I gave public notice, that
whosoever cried so as to drown my voice, should
be quietly carried to the furthest corner of the
room. But my porter had no employ the whole
night." Would Charles Wesley have spoken thus,
if he had considered these things the tokens of a
work of God?

The sentiments of John Wesley upon the same
subject may be learned from the following extracts
from his writings. Speaking of the Welch, he
says: " Some give out a verse, which they sing
over and over again with all their might, thirty or
forty times: Meanwhile some are violently agita-
ted, and they leap up and down in all manner of
postures for hours." He adds, "I think there
needs no great penetration to understand this,

100 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

They are honest, upright men, who really feel the
love of God in their hearts, but they have little ex-
perience either of the ways of God or of the device
of Satan; so he (Satan) serves himself of their
simplicity, in order to wear them out and to bring
discredit on the work cf God"

Again: the Rev. John Wesley, in the fifth vo-
lume of his Journal, says, "Many have been awak-
ened, justified, and perfected in love; but even while
full of love, Satan drives many of them to extrava-
gance. This appears in several instances; 1st,
frequently three or four, yea, ten or twelve pray
aloud together. 2d, Some, perhaps many, scream
altogether as loud as they possibly can; several
drop down as dead, and are as stiff as a corpse,
but in a while they start up and cry glory, glory,
perhaps twenty times together. Just so (he adds)
do the French prophets, and very lately the jump-
ers in Wales, bring the real work into contempt."

Again, Mr. John Wesley objects to such bodily
exercises on the score of decency, in. his sermon,
on "knowing Christ after the flesh," he remarks— r
"But some may say, refraining from these warm
expressions may check the fervor of devotion. It
is very possible it may, such fervor as has passed
for devotion. It may prevent loud shouting,
horrid unnatural screaming, repeating the same

ARMINIAN METHODISM:. 101

words twenty or thirty times, jumping two or three
feet high, throwing about the legs and arms of men
and women, not only shocking to religion but to
common decency: but it will never check, much
less prevent, true Scriptural devotion." Serm. vol.
p. 266. What would Mr. Wesley have said, could
he have attended some of our Methodist meetings,
especially our camp-meetings, where all the phe-
nomena, accounted by him disorderly, and the work
of the devil, are confidently taken by his professed
followers to be indubitable evidence of the power of
God. On the subject of the indecency of these
things, another of the Methodist Society declares, "1
myself have actually witnessed an unconsciousness
of the most indelicate female attitudes, even in the
house of God. One of our own lapsed ministers,
(Mr. F. — x,) says he fell into sin by the influence of
such a spectacle." These things, Rev. Sir, are
mentioned with feelings very different from those
of pleasure, but the imperious demands of truth
seem to require the full exposure of this corrupt
system. It would be easy to multiply these quota-
tions. Let intelligent Methodists consult the fol-
lowing references, if they would farther learn the
sentiments of the wise and good of by-gone days,
with regard to bodily exercises and agitations in the
solemn business of devotion: viz. (vol. 1, p. 459,)

102 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

(vol. 2, pages 69,87,) (vol. 3, p. 443,) of the Mis-
cellaneous works of Wesley. From these and
other passages, they will learn how uniformly he
ascribes every thing of this sort to the agency of
the evil one, and most expressly disavows his belief
in these extravagancies, as the fruits of a work of
the Spirit. Let them ponder, too, the caution con-
tained in his tract on Christian Perfection, " Give no
place to a heated imagination. Do not easily sup*
pose dreams, voices, impressions, visions, to be from
God. They may be from him; they may be from
nature; tliey may be from the devil.''' "You are in
danger of enthusiasm every hour, — if you despise*
or lightly esteem reason, knowledge, or human
learning; every one of which is an excellent gift
of God, and may serve the noblest purposes."
Doct. Tracts, p. 353. And let it check that fond
dependence upon imaginary visions and voices from
above, on which so many build their hopes of
divine acceptance, to know that by the same test
the author of one of the worst productions of infidel-
ity, has claimed the seal of heaven to his profane
speculations.

Nor is the judgment of the greatest of modern
Methodists at all more favorable to these depar*
tures from Scriptural simplicity and sobriety. Dr.
Adam Clarke's preaching is thus described by Lo*

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 103

renzo Dow in his Journal of July 20, 1806: " The
sermon was well delivered in speech, though there
appeared much deadness at the beginning; but in
his last prayer he grew somewhat fervent, until
God began to send down his power, and there
began a move among the people, when he
seemed to lower, as if to ward off the move and
prevent noise" These are understood to be the
prevailing feeling and practice among the Method-
ists of Great Britain. It is also well known that
the intelligent and well informed every where are
almost entirely exempt from these bodily agitations.
" Charles Wesley and John Fletcher were converted
at their own bedside and alone. John Weslev
while sitting in a church hearing the reading of
Luther's preface to the Romans. Dr. Coke in his
pulpit while preaching to others. Both Charles
Wesley and John Fletcher say they felt no great
emotions of joy; and Dr. Coke and John Wesley
were so tranquil that none but themselves were at
the time acquainted with the change." Such is
the decided testimony of the early fathers and best
friends of the system, against the very abuses which
are in this country boldly published and propa-
gated as Christianity; as in fact the essence and
highest excellence of that religion, which is the
noblest offspring of Him who is " a God of order
10

104 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

and not of confusion." We scarcely need notice
the feeble attempt, which has been made to invali-
date this testimony, by alleging the frequent exam-
ples of reformation from gross vice, in connection
with these abuses. The fanatical Unitarians, called
Chrystians, at their great meetings, have their
mourners' benches, women pray in public, old
backsliders are reclaimed, and drunkards reformed.
Do these results stamp error and extravagance
with the image of truth? Or make it right to
deny " the Lord that bought us?"

JLRMINIAN METHODISM, 105

LETTER V.

Camp-Meetings* Abuses of Religious Ordi-
nances.

Rev. Sir:

\Ve come next to remark upon that which may
be denominated the great pillar of Methodist influ-
ence among men.

VII. The Difficulties of Methodism in connec-
tion with Camp-Meetings.

It is not intended to represent as unlawful the
mere act of worship in the open air or in the woods.
On the contrary, we freely admit that there often
occur exigencies in the history of the church which
render such a practice highly commendable. Often
have the people of God, in days gone by, been
driven to the dens and caves of the earth that they
might enjoy the privilege of assembling in some of
natures thick recesses, to worship the God of the
whole earth, agreeably to the dictates of reason
and conscience. And there are doubtless many
situations in free and civilized countries where the

106 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

homage due to the King of Heaven may and ought
to ascend unitedly from the great congregation,
even where no temple nor altar is dedicated to the
service. We may even advance a step further.
There is something both sublime and beautiful, in
thus employing the green earth and the dazzling
canopy of Heaven, as a temple for the praise of
Him who hath said, " heaven is my throne, and
the earth my footstool," and whom " the heaven,
even the heaven of heavens cannot contain."

Why then do we protest against Methodist
camp meetings?

1. Because they afford to the mixed, multitude
who attend them, unusual and most abundant ad-
vantages for the practice of wickedness in many
of its foulest forms. It is well known that whilst
the mass of the steady, orderly, and influential
men of the community, who give tone to society,
and impart a healthful direction to the current of
its manners and customs, take little or no interest
in such assemblages, seldom attend, and then for
a very short time — On the other hand, persons of
almost every shade of color and character are ad-
vertised, invited, and expected to attend; and it is
of these for the most part that Methodism calcu-
lates her gain. It is not meant that persons of this
description should not have the Gospel preached to

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 107

them. That is not the question. " Is the camp-
meeting the best method of bringing them under
the purifying influence of the Gospel?" Prove this
and then the more you can crowd together on the
camp-ground the better. But. is it the wisest way
to make such men holy, to press them together for
several days in succession and several nights too,
where as " iron sharpeneth iron," and fire kindleth
fire, and depravity stimulates to sin, so the social
principle and the combined energies of vice excite
to emulation in deeds of enormous wickedness?
Is it the best way to bring together in dangerous
combination for many days and nights, men and
women in mixed multitude, where it cannot be de-
nied, great facilities are presented, to kindle unholy
fires in the soul and practice iniquity in many of
its vilest shapes?

2. For let it be remembered that these meetings
are generally held in places remote from the habi-
tations of men, frequently at the foot of a moun-
tain— always in the woods; that the night is the
time of general leisure from worldly avocations —
the time too when the excitement at the camp is
highest — the attention of the managers is then
most confined to the exclusive scenes of the meet-
ing; and the best opportunities are then afforded
by the surrounding darkness for the " workers of
10 *

108 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

iniquity to hide thamselves" — that hundreds flock
to such places for mirth and recreation, and many
for much worse purposes — that independently of
the indecent postures (spoken of by Wesley and
others) and besides the malign influence of pro-
tracted intercourse, the accommodations for lodg-
ing at night are such as will commend themselves
to no modest person, particularly to no modest
female, as can easily be shown by a reference to
facts. These and many other things plainly show
that these meetings are not sanctioned by good
sense or sound morality, much less by that religion
which forbids the very " appearance of evil." And
when we add the awful profanation of the holy Sab-
bath, occasioned by the rush of hundreds from every
quarter, as to the festal scenes of a holiday, or to
the merriment and dissipation of some great fair,
well may the serious Christian pause and ask —
" Can these things be duty in a land like this,
where every neighborhood has, or may soon have,
a convenient h ouse of worship, at which, by travel-
ling a short distance, all may receive instruction in
the wondrous mysteries of redeeming love? Sure-
ly, surely it cannot be a work of necessity in any
sense, to mingle with the worship of the Lord of
glory, any thing which bears so strong a resem-
blance to some of the worst rites of Heathenism.

AJEMIN1AN HETH0DIS3I, 109

If indeed the system were so amended, that camp-
meetinss should be held for males and females
separately, at different times and places, and were
never to extend to the Sabbath, many of the above
objections would be removed. But under the ap-
plication of so powerful a remedy, we greatly fear
the patient would expire in our hands— camp-
meetings would be no more!

It will not satisfy the minds of any but those
who are already the partial friends of the system,
to suffer passion to usurp the throne of reason and
apply harsh epithets to the foregoing statement of
facts. Indeed " the half has not been told."
There is an array of fearful testimony to the cor-
ruptions of these meetings, over which modesty
must cast the veil. We dare not offend the eyes
and ears of the Christian community with the dis-
gusting cletaij. But as some have been disposed to
charge the author of these paragraphs with a
breach of decorum, he can only plead the nature
of the subject, and take the liberty of reminding
his accusers, that " a polluted imagination is the
keenest detector and the most severe judge of im-
purities in style, as the slightest image or hint ex-
cites a fermentation of which it is instantly con-
scious, and the guilt of which it charges on the in-
nocent occasion." (Prof. M'CIelland.)

110 THE DIFFICULTIES OV

In concluding these remarks upon the abuses
engrafted on the errors of Methodism, let us glance
for a moment at their practical impression upon the
church and the world. And here I am happy to
have the privilege of embodying in this discussion,
some very able and just observations from the
" Christian Advocate," edited by the venerable
Dr. Green of Philadelphia.

1. The kind of preaching which we have de-
scribed, and the object intended thereby, make but
small demand for talent or education in the Chris-
tian ministry. Hence vigorous, discriminating in-
tellect, and a tact for sound instruction in the pul-
pit, are thrown into the shade, and are compelled
to yield the precedence to empty vociferation.
"But all history bears its testimony to the deplora-
ble effects of an unqualified ministry. Incompe-
tent teachers of religion have ever been the scourge
of the church, the abettors of error — the tools of
wily ecclesiastics and politicians, and at once the
victims and supporters of superstition and fanati-
cism. And in the face of all this light and evi-
dence, the Methodists, as a body, are the stern ad-
vocates of an untaught ministry."

2. " Another of their evil effects upon the church
is the little value they set upon Christian instruc-
tion in any of its departments* Their system is

A.H3IIXIVX METHODISM. Ill

formed mainly with reference to the passions.
Their preaching, praying, classes, camp-meetings,
and love feasts, are all conducted so as to affect the
passions. As respects instruction, a moral famine
pervades every thing they do. This might be ex-
pected from the character of a large majority of
their clergy. A person professes conversion to-
day, and is admitted to the communion to-morrow;
and thus the church is filled with ignorant mem-
bers; ignorant of the Bible, and in a very lament-
able degree of the plan of salvation. And their
example is exerting a deleterious influence upon
other portions of the church. Other denomina-
tions, to prevent their adherents from becoming
Methodists, c where they can get religion so easily?
admit them to membership too hastily.*'

3. " Another of the evil effects of Methodism
upon the church is, the perverted taste it creates
for hearing the word of God.

" Such a taste have they created for clamorous
preaching, that now they will be satisfied with no-
thing else. The great object of preaching surely
is, to elucidate and ex-plain the word of God, and
to bring it home to the heart and conscience. If
in the sacred and divine institution of preaching, a
calm, deliberate, rational, and pungent exposition of
the Scriptures is to give way to th© narration of

11-2 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

experience, and of wonderful incidents and anec-
dotes— often to the veriest rant and bombast, what
is to become of the church? If the Scriptures cease
to shine from the pulpit what is to enlighten the
people?"

4. " But what is perhaps the greatest evil of
Methodism is yet to be named. / mean its effect
in begetting improper notions of divine truth"

" In regard to the production of proper religious
feeling, the influence exerted upon the heart and
conscience, by our views of divine truth, is most
extensive and powerful. How deplorable, then,
the extension which is given to views and notions
based on clouds and borne up by vapors, which
vanish into thin air before the light of reason and
Scripture. Among the Methodists there is very
much religious irreverence — arising no doubt from
their improper views of the divine character.
Hence their boisterous and unmeaning prayers —
the great familiarity with which they treat the Most
High — their crude notions of " getting religion"
and of sinless perfection. They seem to suppose
that religion can be obtained and lost at any time
— that it consists in a boisterous agitation of the
passions — that other means than prayer and the
avoidance of temptation, are to be employed in
overcoming the devil — and that reverence and or-

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 113

der in religious worship are the characteristics of
coldness and formality. A man of my acquaint-
ance a few years since, cried out, in an evening
meeting among the Methodists — 'Brethren I have
got the devil and will not let him go till I kill him.'
He continued fisting his Satanic Majesty against
the wall for half an hour, whilst the cries of amen
and glory to God were rising all around him."

5. But what impression do these and similar
traits of the system make upon the world. "A
man of intelligence is prompted by curiosity to
attend one of the boisterous camp-meetings. He
goes from tent to tent, from one praying circle to
another. He witnesses the fervid enthusiasm of
the preacher, which acts upon the mass like a
whirlwind upon the ocean. He sees some falling
into fits — others exhausted with shouting — others
prostrate on the earth and crying out — 'it made
no matter to them whether they went to heaven
head or heels foremost' — He hears twenty or
thirty praying at once, and the less fluent brothers
and sisters shouting ' Amen.' He hears one ex-
claim ' I see the Savior: there he is;' and another,
* 1 see heaven open and God preparing to descend
to us,' and another crying out, ' pray on brothers
and sisters, the blessing will soon come.' He
witnesses little else but irreverence before Him who

114 THE DIFFICULTIES Of

hath said, 4 The Lord is in his holy temple; let all
the earth keep silence before him.' If such scenes
are not well calculated to make the impression that
religion is only fitted for the vulgar; that it is all a
matter of blind superstition, I know not what scenes
are.*5 That the foregoing statements do not exceed
or exaggerate the simple truth is proved by Dr.
Green, who affirms that they are in " exact accord-
ance with the reports which were made to him
•from various quarters." The facts were such as
" had either passed under the observation of the
reporters, or were narrated by creditable and pious
individuals."

6. There is therefore much reason to apprehend
that Methodism is rapidly lending her aid to the
cause of Infidelity. Religion will generally be es-
teemed or despised, according to the character and
conduct of her professed followers. And when the
worship of the God of the universe, the infinitely per-
fect Spirit, the only object of religious homage, is so
widely at variance with the plainest dictates of pro=
priety: When instead of that "reasonable ser-
vice,55 which He requires, the wildest extravagance
and confusion prevail: when long and noisy voci-
feration is substituted for instruction in religious
truth: When the object is, rather to rouse the .ani-
mal sensibilities, than awaken the conscience

AR3IINIAN METHODISE. 115

enlighten the understanding, and humble the heart:
When those in numberless instances are appointed
to teach who have never learned, and the most in-
congruous and ridiculous statements are gravely
announced as the dictates of divine infallibility:
When the results of natural causes, terror, nervous
irritability, bodily exhaustion, &c, are boldly de-
clared to be essentials in that " holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord:" When all this,
(and there is much more of the same character,)
is witnessed by men of even ordinary discernment,
nothing is more easy and natural than to transfer
their feelings of disgust and contempt from those who
practice these abuses of religion, to religion herself.
" Where the Methodist religion,"' says the Christian
Advocate, " has been for any time prevalent, un-
checked by the presence of other denominations,
you find the talented and influential members of
society opposed not only to the Methodists, but to
every thing in the form of godliness. The region
in which I live," continues the same writer, " bears
a decided testimony to the truth of this fact.
Methodism was once dominant. It carried nearly
every thing before it, and now the intelligent and
influential are generally infidels, or something as
"bad; and are rarely ever seen within the walls of
a church. Methodism is on the wane: the people
11

116 *HE DIFFICULTIES O^

are becoming tired of it, and that cold chill, the
sure precursor of spiritual death, is pervading the
whole community." " If this be religion," ex^
claimed one who was leaving the scenes of a camp-
ground, u Heaven preserve me from it." As the
infamous conduct of the Romish clergy has left an
eternal stain and stigma upon the very name of
priest; so have we reason to fear, will much that
Methodism calls religion, prejudice the minds and
steel the hearts of thousands against the pure and
heavenly doctrines of Divine Revelation.

VIII. The Difficulties of Methodism, with re-
gard to Religious Ordinances — the Gross
Abuses practiced in that Denomination,

1 . Upon this subject the theory and practice of
Methodism seem very well to agree. What are
we to think of " Articles and Discipline," which
after stating that the baptism of children is to be
retained in the church, contain not one word re-
specting the character of the parents; and which of
course require nothing more, in order to the bap-
tism of their children, from the most profane and
vicious, than from the most moral and religious?
The whole subject is left as though it were a mat-
ter of the utmost indifference. No obligations of
any kind are prescribed; no inquiry of knowledge

AJRMIXIAN mSTfiODjBM. 117

or of decent deportment: no demand of future obe-
dience to the divine precepts. The great point
seems to be, to get children baptized and as many
as possible by the Methodist church, with which
the parents are thus entrapped into a kind of con-
nection and membership. On the principle that
u coming to us" is to " get religion" with almost
as great certainty, as to unite with others, is to be
destitute of it, this means of attaching persons of
every description to the meeting is adopted without
scruple; and doubtless the end will fully justify the
means. In this way, too, the hearts of the unwa-
ry are deceived by a show of great liberality; and
an excellent opportunity furnished, to declaim
against narrow-minded Presbyterians who believe
in the everlasting perdition of helpless infants. We
do not mean to insinuate that Methodist preachers
know better: most probably they do not. But even
on this most favorable construction, in what light
should we regard religious teachers, who adminis-
ter the ordinances of Christ's house in such a man-
ner as to convert them into a profane unmeaning
mockery? Circumcision, (the Old Testament bap-
tism.) was never applied to any but the children of
Abraham, and to parents and children who became
proselytes to Judaism. Yet that was M the seal of
the righteousness of faith," as much as baptism,

118 THE DIFFICULTIES OP

Of whose faith? Not surely of the " faith" of the
infant of eight days old, but of the parent who in
the exercise of " faith," gave away the child to the
expected Savior, and came under the obligations
implied in such a gift, to bring it up in " the nur-
ture and admonition of the Lord." " Circumcision,"
says Wesley, " being abolished, and baptism com-
ing in the room of it, baptism should be applied to
all those who have any interest in the covenant —
this seems to manifest the right of the children of
Christians to these blessings, or that they have an
interest in this covenant." Doct. Tracts, p. 267.
Hence also we find that when the apostles received
into church fellowship the parents, it is generally
added they baptized their household — but we never
read of their baptizing the household or the child-
ren of any who did not profess faith in Christ.
The reason was precisely the same for refusing
baptism to the offspring of unbelievers, as for de*
nying circumcision to those who were not Jews — >
46 The seal of the righteousness of faith," (applied
in either form,) implied the existence of faith — the
seal of the covenant, that the covenant had been
entered into. Where therefore there is no « faith'8
in exercise, and no covenant embraced and agreed
to, to apply the seal of the covenant, is to seal a
blank or an untruth. It is plain therefore from the m«

AKMINIAN METHODISM. 119

ture of the ordinance, the nature of the covenant, (of
which it is a seal,) as well as from the character and
extent of its obligations, that in the baptism of the in-
fants of the vicious and profane, " who are strangers
to the covenants of promise," the great seal of high
Heaven is appended to a farce. It is to set the so-
lemn ratification of God's covenant to a nullity, or
what is worse, to an untruth. Something indeed
is said about an " unconditional charter," entitling
all infants to the blessings of the covenant,, without
respect to their parentage, and securing to them
unconditionally ■, the right of baptism. But why
were the blessings of this " unconditional charter"
limited, in the case of the Jews? Why did it not
secure the right of circumcision to the infants of
Gentiles? And why was it restricted to those who
were united to the professing people of God, either
by birth or proselytism? Dr. Clarke on Acts
16:32 tells us, "the Jewish practice was inva-
riably to receive the heathen children with (not
without) their proselyted parents." And Wesley
informs us that " in the Christian church, from its
earliest ages, and we think from the apostles' time,
it has been the custom to baptize the infant children
of professed Christians:' Doct. Tracts, p. 275.
The father of Methodism, then, no less than the
word of God and the example of the apostles, con-
11 "

120 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

demns the practice of administering baptism to the
infant children of those who give no Scriptural evi-
dence of piety. Man cannot search the heart, but
reason may learn and apply the principles of holy
Writ, by which we are " to try the spirits" and test
the character and fitness of those who claim for
themselves or their offspring, the " sign and seal"
of the covenant of grace. To neglect this, is to
declare it to be a matter of no importance that in-
stitutions of divine authority should be celebrated
in " truth and righteousness."

2. Nor is the practice with regard to the other
sacrament of Christ's house at all more agreeable
to reason and Scripture. The Book of Discipline
prescribes examination for admission to the Lord's
supper; but as it says nothing about the topics,
every preacher is left to do just what seemeth right
in his own eyes. Hence the very superficial inves-
tigation of faith and practice at camp-meetings, &c.
Hence the universal usage of receiving an appear-
ance of tenderness, as sufficient recommendation,
without inquiry whether the person has been bap-
tized, or whether his character and habits are not
scandalous, and will not render him a disgrace to
the ordinance, and a just object of contempt to the
infidel and scoffer. A member of my church, (from
whose lips [had the fact,) whilst travelling through

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 121

one of the western countries of Pennsylvania, was
present at a quarterly meeting when the commu-
nion was celebrating. When the services were
nearly completed, a rough uncouth person pressed
forward toward the altar and demanded the ele-
ments, saying, " I came here to get religion and
like to forgot it." After some consultation among
the preachers the bread and wine were presented
to him. This, we readily admit, is an extreme
though by no means a solitary case. But where,
in the authorized Book of Discipline and standard
of doctrine, will you find one syllable which con-
demns such scandalous proceedings. The volume
therefore which contains the confession of faith and
forms of worship, adopted by Methodists, tacitly
gives its consent and approbation to this gross out-
rage upon decency. It will be readily admitted
that in the purest churches and under the most
cautious discipline, unworthy persons may intrude
into the holy mysteries; but this furnishes no
apology for unforbidden practices, which reflect
dishonor upon the very name of religion.

In reply to these statements and objections it
has been said, " that an individual who had previ-
ously been very wicked might, on the occasion of
a camp-meeting, become truly penitent and intend
to lead a new life; and it is better to be imposed

522 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

upon than to stand in the way of one sincere soul
in fulfilling the command of Christ." In other
words, the apostle says, " Let a man examine him-
self, and so let him eat" — Methodism says, " Let
him intend to lead a new life" and leave the ex-
amination to a more convenient season! The apos-
tle says, " He that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself" —
Methodism replies, " No matter if the person has
been always heretofore c very wicked? better for
him ta eat and drink damnation, than for us to
stand in the way of one sincere soul" — " better
that men should be guilty of the body and blood
of the Lord, than that we should stand in the way
of one soul, who sincerely intends to lead a new
life!" Verily if Paul was a Methodist, he greatly
lacked the light and improvement of modern dis-
coveries!

3. As a third head of abuses of divine ordi-
nances, in unscriptural and superstitious practice,
we mention kneeling at the supper of the Lord, and
much of the language of celebration. Christ and
his disciples celebrated the first supper in the com-
mon table posture; but Methodism is wiser, and
substitutes a more humble one of her own invention
— kneeling. This practice is none the better from
the fact that it is well known to have originated in-

ARMINIAN METHODISM, 123

those idolatrous inventions of Popery, transubstan-
tiation and the sacrifice of the mass. Next we
have borrowed from the Holy Mother Church, a
precious relic in " the prayer of consecration."
This prayer is to be said over the elements to make
them sufficiently holy to be received in remem-
brance of Christ. And we are particularly inform-
ed, " that if the consecrated bread and wine be all
spent, the elder may consecrate more, by repeating
the prayer of consecration/" And " if the elder
be straitened for time, he may omit any part of
the service, except the prayer of consecration!"
And when we find recommended in a Protestant
directory for worship, the following prayer, viz,
that " the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
may preserve the soul and body of the communi-
cant unto everlasting life," we may easily under^
stand with regard to all these things,

"What place they come from by their sound and smell."

For, besides the needless and wanton departure from
Christ's own teaching and direct example, we
would respectfully suggest to the general confer-
ence, that when we pray to Christ, it is Immanuel,
God-man, Mediator, that is addressed; not the body
or blood of Christ separately, nor indeed at all; for
this would be gross idolatry. Nor is it easy to

124 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

comprehend how it can be a proper object of prayer,
*6 that the body and blood of the Redeemer," either
figuratively, or in their actual substance, " may
preserve soul and body unto everlasting life," in-
dependently of his glorious character as God-man,
and the infinite merits of his satisfaction as Media-
tor. The whole is unscriptural, absurd, and a vile
relic of the dark ages of Popery.

I

ARMINIAN METIIODISM. 125

LETTER VI.

Methodist Episcopacy. Exclusion of Laymen.
Right of Property.

Rev. Sir:

In the progress of this discussion, we are brought
to the subject of church government, as adminis-
tered among Methodists.

IX. The Difficulties of Methodism in regard
to her Form of Government — it is unscripte-
ral, anti-republican, and tyrannical.

On page 144 of the Book of Discipline is a
prayer to "Almighty God," in which the appoint-
ment of " divers orders" of ministers in his church
is distinctly ascribed to Him. On pages 25, 31, 32,
of the same volume, three forms of consecration
and ordination are laid down, for bishops, elders,
and deacons, respectively. In the 'appendix to
Buck's Theological Dictionary, the production of
Dr. Bangs, it is said that in Methodism, " three or-
ders of ministers are recognized, and the duties pe-

126 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

culiar to each are clearly defined." Dr. Clarke
in commenting on 1 Tim. chap. 3, v. 1, states that
" Episcopacy in the church of God is of divine ap-
point?nent, and should be maintained and respected.
Under God there should be supreme governors in
the church as well as in the state. The state has
its monarch: the church has its bishop." " The
office of a bishop is from God." Note, Acts 20:28.

Now that these " divers orders" are the inven-
tion of men, and not the appointment of God, has
been often and most abundantly proved. For,

1. There is no Scriptural evidence whatever
that the office of deacon embraced the duty either
of teaching or ruling in the church. In support
of this position we refer to the original appointment
as recorded in the 6th chapter of Acts, where the
object is distinctly declared to be, not the establish-
ment of another order of ministers or teachers; but
of a class of men whose business it should be to
" serve tables" or attend to the secular affairs of
the church; " but we" say the apostles, " will give
ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the
word" That some of those who were first ap-
pointed deacons, did afterwards preach the Gospel,
and act as evangelists, is not denied; but there is
no evidence whatever that they were either minis-
ters or evangelists; in consequence of their appoint-

ARMlMAN METHODISM. 127

merit to M serve tables:" u It is not reason," say
the apostles, " that we should LEAVE the word
of God and serve tables*"

Dr. Bangs, in his " Vindication of Methodist
Episcopacy," p. 14, derives an argument from
1 Tim. 3:3, in support of the ministerial character
of deacons: " Likewise must the deacons be
grave" — But just three verses farther on, the
apostle adds, " even so must their wives be grave."
Were the deacons' wives ministers of the Gospel?
And when Paul subjoins two verses farther down,
" For they that use the office of deacon well,
purchase to themselves a good degree and great
boldness in the faith" — Dr. Clarke well ex-
presses the meaning — "they are here said to pur*
chase to themselves a good degree; for instead of
having to minister to the bodies and bodily icants
of the poar, the faithful deacons were raised to
minister in holy things; and instead of ministering
the bread that perisheth, they were raised — to
minister the bread of life to immortal souls."
This no doubt was often exemplified, when persons
exercising the office of deacon diligently and faith-
fully, were elevated to the higher office of minis-
ters of the everlasting Gospel. " It is evident,"
says Dr. Scott, an Episcopalian, ;i that they were
appointed to take care of the property of the church ,
12

128 THE DIFFICULTIES Of

and not to the pastoral office" "It seems unde*
niable that they were appointed solely to take care
of the temporal concerns of the church; and not,
as deacons, to preach, or to administer sacred or-
dinances." " It appears to me very likely," con-
tinues Dr. Scott, " that both at this and future pe-
riods, many who were appointed deacons in the
first instance, afterwards became evangelists or
pastors; and when they were fully employed, other
deacons were appointed." Com, of Acts 6:2-^-6*
Since then not a particle of evidence can be gath-
ered from the New Testament? that the first dea-
cons were ministers of the Gospel at all., we need
not trouble ourselves to disprove the other feature
of the system, which places them in an " order"
inferior to elders and bishops. It is a subject of
much curiosity with some persons to have a distinct
reference made to the identical passage or passages
of Scripture, upon which the Doctors of Methodism
rely to establish this difference of " order" among
the ministers of Christ. Show us the chapter and
verse, and then we will believe, that regularly or-
dained ministers of the Gospel, who are called
deacons, having received the laying on of hands
but once, are quite inferior to another set of regu-
larly ordained ministers who are called elders,
having received the laying on of hands more than

AXMIHIAN METHODISM. 129

once. If the distinction of " order" consists in this,
that two ordinations are better than one, then three,
four, and five, by the same reasoning, would be
better still; and thus may the humble deacon of
Methodism gradually ascend in the numerical scale,
until he shall seat himself in the chair of St. Peter,
and nobody knows how far above Pontifex Maxi-
mus himself.

2. With regard to the " orders" of bishop and
elder, these names are uniformly used in the Xew
Testament as convertible terms, the one or the
other being employed just as convenient to the wri-
ter. And what is much more conclusive, the very
same character and powers are ascribed to elders
as to bishops, thus proving that they are the same
not different orders of ministers. In proof of these
positions we cite Acts 20:17—28. " And from
Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders
of the church" — " Take heed to yourselves and to
all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers," (or bishops.) The very same per-
sons are denominated by the inspired apostle, bish-
ops and elders, and that within a few sentences.
Philip. 1:1. " The bishops and deacons" of Phi-
lippi are addressed. Titus 1:5, 7. " For this cause
I left thee in Crete that thou shouldst set in order
the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in

130 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

every city — for a bishop must be blameless," &c»;
where, besides the manifest fact that Paul's elders
were the same with Paul's bishops, we have here,
as in the previous cases, proof beyond controversy,
that in apostolic times, several bishops, such as the
New Testament sanctions, were accustomed to re-
side in a single city. Titus is directed to ordain
a number of them in every city. But could these
have been such bishops as Methodism " conse-
crates" of whose employment a great part seems
to be " to travel at large among the people'5 and
who cannot in any instance cease " to travel
through the connection at large" without permis-
sion from the general conference, under the pe-
nalty of being deprived of their office? (Discip. p. 28,)
1 Pet. 5:1, 2. " The elders which are among you
I exhort— feed the flock of God— talcing the over-
sight thereof" or as the word in the original signi-
fies, " exercising the office, and performing the
duties of a bishop." Whether Paul and Peter
thought it needful, when about to confer the office
of a Scriptural bishop, first to ordain the man a
deacon, secondly to ordain him an eider, and third*
ly and lastly to " consecrate" him a bishop, we
leave the candid to judge. We rather opine they
were better instructed by Him, who, when the dis-
ciples strove which should be the greatest^ set a

AS3IIXIAX METHODISM. 131

little child in the midst, and bade them take him
for a pattern of true greatness; and who hath left
on record the memorable sentence, " The princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, but it
shall not be so among you"

Now let any candid inquirer examine these pas-
sages, with many others equally explicit, and he
will be satisfied that Methodism, in establishing
three orders of ministers, has departed from the
word of God; and that in the room of the plain and
simple plan of divine origination, she has erected
a spiritual tyranny, in which, instead of one there
are many lordly popes.

It is an inquiry also of much interest — when did
Methodist episcopacy arise? The Scriptures know
nothing about it — from what causes did it originate?
The opinion of Wesley upon the subject of its in-
troduction may be learned from a letter written to
Mr. Asbury, dated Sept. 20, 1788. "How can
you," says the great apostle of the system, " how
dare you suffer yourself to be called a bishop? I
shudder, I start, at the very thought. Men may call
me a knave, or a fool, a rascal, a scoundrel, and I
am content; but they shall never with my consent
call me a bishop. For my sake, for God's sake,
for Christ's sake, put a full end to this." It is ob-
vious from this extract that the nattering title which
12 *

132 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

chimes so sweetly in the ear of ambitious ecclesi-
astics, was at that time just beginning to be em-
ployed in the Methodist church. And whether it
is probable, that a man of Wesley's strong sense
would make all this ado about a mere name, if
there had not been connected with it, much of the
arrogant assumption of the office, we submit to the
decision of candor. Both Scripture and Wesley
refuse their countenance to episcopacy. How
then did it originate? We reply, the love of title
and distinction is native in the human heart, and
just as more than 1400 years ago, (as we are in-
formed by the learned father Jerome,) the tremen-
dous power and monstrous corruptions of the Pa-
pacy were creeping into the church paulatim, " by
little and Utile;" and gradually and steadily moved
onward, until the u Beast" was enthroned in the
temple of God and almost all that was precious in
doctrine and discipline lay scattered at his feet, a
hideous mass of ruins: In some such way as this^
does Methodism appear to have forsaken the exam-
ple of her fathers, and the inspired direction of the
word of God. Mr. Wesley first appointed Dr.
Coke and Mr. Asbury superintendents of the Meth-
odist churches in America; but this humble title
did not long satisfy these reverend gentlemen. In
four or five years, they began to employ the term

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 133

bishop to the minutes of conference; and at this
time it was that Wesley wrote the letter we have
quoted above, expressing his indignation, and ab-
horrence of the substitution. It seems, moreover,
that at least one of these gentlemen had some oc-
casional misgivings respecting the validity of his
episcopal ordination. In 1S04, Dr. Coke appli-
ed to bishop White of the Protestant Episcopal
Church, to have himself and others admitted to the
episcopacy; thus acknowledging his claim to the
office to be entirely destitute of foundation. He
tells bishop White. " that Mr. Wesley had invested
him with episcopal authority, so far as he had a
right to do so;" but as Wesley never held higher
than a priest's office in the Church of England, it
is plain that Coke had as good a right to ordain to
the episcopal office as Wesley; so that it might
have greatly saved appearances, if Dr. Coke had
first consecrated Wesley, and then Wesley const-
crated Coke!

In view of these facts, it is adapted to provoke a
smile, to peruse the statement of the origin of the
Methodist Church, prefixed to the Book of Disci-
pline. " Mr. Wesley," they tell us, "preferring
the episcopal mode of church government to any
other, in 17 S4 solemnly set apart Thomas Coke
for the episcopal office" — a priest ordaining a

134 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

bishop — That Mr. Wesley delivered to Dr. Coke
letters of episcopal orders, and directed him to set
apart Francis Asbury to the office of a bishop after
arriving in America" — In consequence of which,
Mr. Asbury appears to have been hurried through
the probationary degrees of deacon and elder — or
in the language of Dr. Bangs, (Appendix to Buck,)
u was ordained by Dr. Coke, first to the office of
deacon, then elder, and then superintendent or
bishop;" and all, it seems, at the same meeting of
conference! Verily, if there be any doubt touch-
ing bishop Asbury's episcopal character, it was
not for want of being well ordained and consecrat-
ed! And last, not least, we are told that " the
general conference did unanimous! v receive the
said Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury as their
bishops, being fully persuaded of the validity of
their episcopal ordination!"

We cannot help congratulating the ministers of
Methodism upon the firmness of the foundation of
their ministerial authority. Faith at least will have
abundant room for exercise and improvement.
They must believe that priest Wesley consecrated
bishop Coke, imparted an authority he did not pos-
sess. They must believe that by this means Tho-
mas Coke became invested with all the rights,
titles, and appurtenances, of a bishop — although

AHMINIAN METHODISM. 135

the way Methodist bishops are now made is quite
different. They must believe, nevertheless, that
both inventions for making a bishop are right —
that Thomas Coke was well and truly made a
bishop by Mr. Wesley, only four years before he
wrote, " call me knave, fool, rascal, scoundrel,
but never call me bishop:" and they must believe
that the letter, (of which this is an extract,) was
directed (in 1788) to Mr. Asbury, and conveyed a
most pungent reproof for permitting himself to be
clothed with an office, and addressed by a title,
which Mr. Wesley himself, only four years previ-
ously (1784) had expressly intended for him; and
for this purpose priest Wesley had consecrated
bishop Coke, and bishop Coke was to consecrate
bishop Asbury. (See Doct. and Discip. M. E,
Church, chap. p. 6.)

But it were well if this ridiculous burlesque of
episcopacy terminated here. There is a much
more serious aspect of the affair. Bishops, elders,
and deacons, have seated themselves in the high
places of the church; and it becomes an inquiry of
much importance — How have they disposed of the
laity? We reply — they are so disposed of as to be
charitably relieved of the whole burden of saying
or doing any thing in the secular or spiritual ad-
ministration of the church. All they have to do

136 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

is to contribute liberally, and submit implicitly to
the dictation of their superiors. The preachers
have legislated the whole power over the temporal
and spiritual concerns of the church, out of the
people's hands, and into their own. This Wesley
candidly avowed as his original intention. In a
letter to I. Mason, dated near London, January 13,
1790, " As long," says he, " as I live, the people
shall have no share in choosing either stewards or
leaders among the Methodists. We have not, and
never had any such custom: We are no republi-
cans and never intend to be. It would be better
for those that are so minded to go quietly away."
Accordingly, when in 1797, the people in some
parts of England began to take the alarm, and pe-
titioned in large numbers " that they might have
a voice in the formation of their own laws, the
choice of their own officers, and the distribution of
their own prope?'ty" (see Buck's Theological Dic-
tionary, art. Methodists,) the love of power con-
quered the sense of right, and these petitioners were
denied those privileges, which both reason and
Scripture teach every man, are the fundamental
principles of all freedom, civil as well as religious.
In this country, too, the free spirit of our civil go-
vernment has extended its reforming hand to the
oppressions of religious tyranny. A large and re*

ARMIXIAN METHODISM. 137

spectable body of Methodists have begun to feel
and act like Christian freemen. The rights and
privileges for which they have been contending
are the same for which their brethren in England
petitioned in 1797. And how have their efforts
toward emancipation been received? Just as might
have been expected from a clerical aristocracy
which holds all the power in its own hands, and
wields thes word of discipline agreeably to its sove-
reign pleasure. The advocates of the people's
rights were excommunicated — excommunicated for
insisting upon those very rights in ecclesiastical
matters, for which, in state policy, our fathers
fought and bled in the great revolutionary strug-
gle— viz.: UA voice in making their own laics,
electing their own rulers, and distributing their
own property"

To these statements it has been replied, " that
as every preacher before he can be admitted by
the conference, must be recommended by the laity,
and as the conference cannot move a single step
towards his admission, without such recommenda-
tion, it follows, that the laity are jhe origin and
source of all power in the church. " But Dr.
Bangs, in the Appendix to Buck, informs us that
" a person thinking himself moved by the Holy
Ghost to preach the Gospel first makes known

138 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

his views and exercises to the preacher having

charge of the circuit, who if he consider the
applicant a fit person, {here is the origin of all
power,) grants him license to exhort," &c. Be-
sides, even if it were correct that the laity must re-
commend the candidate to the conference before
he can be received, it would be a marvellous proof
of their holding all the power in their hands, be-
cause, forsooth, a man who wishes to turn preach-
er, must get a few of his friends to recommend
him! The quarterly conferences, it is further said,
are composed partly of laymen; and these bodies
are the door of entrance to the ministry, &c. But
these laymen, according to Dr. Bangs, « are the
stewards, leaders, and exhorters" of the circuit,
appointed by the preachers, and mere tools to do
their pleasure.

Indeed, we may fearlessly affirm, that there is
not a form of church government on earth, (the
Papacy excepted,) so radically opposed to republi-
canism as Methodism. The legislative, executive,
and judicial powers, are all placed in the hands of
a privileged aristocracy— the preachers; and at
their sovereign nod, both men and money are dis-
posed of, to promote whatever purposes piety, am-
bition, proselytism, or whim, may dictate. " The
powers of the travelling preachers have been pro-

ARMIXIAN METHODISM. 139

nounced aristocratic by some of the most distin-
guished adhering and seceding ministers of the
Methodist church. Dr. Coke termed the system
"an arbitrary aristocracy." (Meth. Prot. p. 244.)
"Bishop M'Kendree and Mr. O. Kelly actually
withdrew, because of the unwarrantable assump-
tions of the conference." (Ibid. p. 244.) " And
Ezekiel Cooper, of the Philadelphia conference,
asserts, that in debate Mr. M'Kendree observed,
4 It is an insult to my understandings and such an
arbitrary stretch of power, so tyrannical (or des-
potic) that I cannot (or will not) submit to it.5 "
(Ibid. p. 244. But the following particulars, ex-
tracted from a letter of Dr. S. S. Schmucker, Pro-
fessor of Theology in the German Lutheran semi-
nary at Gettysburg, will set the question of Methodist
clerical aristocracy at rest. After defining an
aristocracy to mean, " the exclusive assumption
or possession, by a few, of those rights and privi-
leges, to which others have a just claim," Dr. S.
enumerates the following examples of Methodist
clerical usurpation: 1. "The exclusive right of suf-
frage in the election of delegates to the general
conference and of bishops." A thing unknown in
any other protestant church.

2. " Exchisive eligibility both to the annual
and general conferences^- In all other protestant
13

140 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

churches, laymen are eligible to the church
courts.

3. "The exclusive unlimited power to legislate
for the whole church in matters of discipline, and
forms of worship and minor regulations. The
travelling preachers can change and reverse, if they
please, every item of discipline and form of wor-
ship, and no layman, nor even local preacher, can
have a word to say in it.

4. " The exclusive right to sit in judgment on the
moral conduct of travelling preachers." In other
churches such trials are conducted by laymen and
ministers jointly.

5. "The exclusive right of appointing all com*
mittees for the trial of lay members, without the
power on the part of the accused, to challenge any
member of such committee, though he could prove
him his bitterest enemy.

6. " The exclusive right to conduct and control
the book concern, and appropriate its extensive
profits exclusively to their own benefit.

7. " The exclusive right of eligibility to the
editorship of the periodicals of the Methodist
church: local preachers and laymen are excluded
by the discipline.

8. " The exclusive right to hold and control all
the Methodist churches and parsonages, deeded

ARMINIAN ^rF.TIIODISM. 141

according to the discipline — to say who shall, and
who shall not, occupy them, without consulting the
wishes of the laity who paid for them. Even the
trustees are nominated exclusively by the travelling
preachers. In every other protestant church in
the land, each congregation has control of its own
parsonage and church property.

9. " The exclusive right to fix their own sala*
ry, that is, the amount to which they may retain
possession of their collections and receive dividends
from the several funds. In every other church
the people decide for themselves what sum they
will allow their minister.

10. " The exclusive right of their bishops to de*
termine what ministers each congregation shall
have, without consulting the wishes of the people.
In all other churches of our land, the congregation
invites the person they think best suited to them.

11. " An entire irresponsibility to the people
for all their acts, legislative, judicial, and executive,
and for the distribution of the extensive funds pos-
sessed by them. They print no minutes of their
discussions, (except the mere appointment of minis-
ters to circuits)-— they do not admit the laity even
as auditors of their deliberations; and no power on
earth can call them to an account." Thus far
Dr. Schmucker. We are now prepared to under?

142 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

stand Dr. Bangs, when he asserts in his " Vindi-
cation"— " Every part of our government is elec-
tive." But who are the voters? The reverend
clergy. And is not the Pope elected by his reve-
rend cardinals?

There is one point, however, in the above
catalogue of usurpations, which demands a more
special notice. It is the 8th head, respecting the
right of church property, which is deeded away to
the preachers and is placed entirely beyond the con-
trol of the people. It is .true the form of deed in
the discipline, (p. 162,) conveys the property to
trustees in the first instance: But mark! It is " in
trust that they shall build a house or place of wor-
ship for the use of the members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church in the United States, according
to the rules and discipline which, from time to

time, MAY BE AGREED ON AND ADOPTED EY THE

preachers of said church." "And in farther
trust that, they shall at all times permit such preach*
ers" — _u to preach and expound God's holy word
therein," &c, &c. The property then is for the
use of the people according to the rules adopted
by the preachers, and they can have the use of it
no longer than they quietly submit to those rules,
however unjust or oppressive they may be. All
that is necessary, therefore, to enable an avaricious.

AIOIIXIAN METHODISM. 143

priesthood to take quiet possession of the immense
and accumulating property of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, is to enact rules sufficiently oppres-
sive to force away the people, and the whole wealth
of the church is theirs, deeded, and confirmed to
them forever. Besides, without supposing an act
of tyranny so high-handed, if a Methodist Episco-
pal congregation unanimously resolve to unite with
another denomination of Christians, say the Pro-
testant Methodists, they are obliged to surrender
their house of worship, to forsake the temple which
their labors and wealth had reared for their accom-
modation, to leave all in the hands of Methodist
Episcopal preachers^ and commence anew from
the foundation. They cannot touch a cent of it.
The property is theirs no longer than they con-
tinue obedient and faithful servants of the priest-
hood, and submit to be governed by their rules.
And if every Methodist congregation in the land
were successively to renounce the system, unani-
mously renounce it, they could not keep possession
of a cent of their property — it must lie in the hands
of the preachers to be disposed of according to
their u rules " A congregation may wish to make
sale of the house they have erected out of their
own funds; but no! they dare not. And even
when, in case of debt, the trustees are authorized
13 *

144 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

to sell the property to pay it, the surplus is de-
posited, (not in the hands of the trustees, or return-
ed to those who are its lawful owners, but) "in
the hands of the steward, to be at the disposal of
the next annual conference''' — It is added, indeed,
"for the use of said society" — as much as to say,
" we, the preachers, think you, the rightful owners,
do not know what use to make of your money —
we will kindly relieve you of the burden of it." To
allege that the preachers of the Methodist Episcopal
Church will always be men of too much probity
and uprightness to abuse the power placed in their
hands, is only to show the extreme credulity of the
objector. All history testifies that the direct method
to corrupt the best of men, is to place at their dis-
posal unlimited and uncontrolled power, whether
of wealth, or any other kind of influence.

But it has been replied, that the travelling preach-
ers cannot righteously be charged with being a
clerical aristocracy, because they have left in the
hands of the laity the all important power of with-
holding every cent of pecuniary support. And Dr.
Bangs, in his " Vindication," chap. 10, on " the
privileges of members of our church," states the
third to be, "that no member can be censured for
not contributing to the support of the ministry."
Is it indeed so? On page 171 of the Book of Dis-

i&MINIAK METHODISM. 145

cipline, (ed. 1832,) is a rule requiring "weekly
class collections whenever it is practicable," to
meet the allowances to the preachers, <Scc. And
on page 90, they say, that in " cases of neglect of
duties of any kind — or disobedience to the order
and discipline of the church,5' the offender is on
the third offence to be " cut off" or excommunica-
ted. Now is it a duty of ;i any kind" or any part
of the " order and discipline" of the church to
contribute at the class collections? Then, on the
third instance of neglect to pay the preacher, all
orthodox Methodists enjoy the precious privilege
of being regularly excluded from the church! No!
Rely upon it. The trouble of making and execu-
ting laws for the government of the brethren, is
not to go unrewarded — the laborer is worthy of
his hire. The preachers bear the burden of exclu-
sive legislation — they relieve the people of all part
and lot in that matter. Is it not right that they
should be punished, if they attempt to " muzzle
the ox that treadeth out the corn?"

The ultimate tendencies of a system such as we
have been examining, present to the inquisitive
mind, a melancholy prospect. The experience of
all popish countries proves, that the most direct
method of enslaving any people in a political point
of view, is, to take from them their independence

146 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

in religion. Bring them to commit the safe-keep-
ing of their consciences to the priests, and to suffer
the privilege and right of self-government in reli-
gion to pass into the hands of others — persuade
them to surrender the right of thinking and acting
like Christian freemen, and you have a people pre-
pared, on the first opportunity, to submit the trouble
of political rule to any aspiring demagogue who may
volunteer his services. The habit of implicit sub'
mission to the dictation of others is soon formed;
and what was at first esteemed a precious right,
will soon come to be regarded as an oppressive
burden. The spirit of lofty independence will be
broken and the man will be merged in the abject
slave. The British monarch James 1. had some
skill in this matter. When assigning a reason for
wishing to put down presbytery, and elevate epis-
copacy, he delivered the royal maxim — " No bish-
op, no king" — he uttered a sentiment which has
been repeated a thousand times as a favorite and
acknowledged principle, by the enemies of civil
and religious liberty. So also a writer in the Lon-
don Quarterly Review, a work devoted to the inte-
rests of episcopacy and toryism, uses the follow-
ing strong language: " Certain it is that monarchy
and episcopacy are much more nearly connected
than writers of bad faith or little refection have

▲B3IINIAX METHODISM. 147

sought to persuade mankind." " There is an in-
sensible, but natural inclination towards democrat
cy" says the same writer, which arises from the
principles of a popular church government" On
the other hand, the natural alliance between a popu*
lar church government and civil liberty, has been
ultimately the theme of praise from its friends and of
reproach from its enemies, from time immemorial.
Clarendon and Hume acknowledge it in all the bit-
terness of their hostility. (See Dr. Miller's letter to
a gentleman of Baltimore, pp. 74, 75.)

In the light of these observation, we are prepared
to appreciate the zeal with which, some years since,
Methodist preachers re-echoed the hue and cry of
infidels, that our liberties were in danger from
Presbyterianism. The community seem to have
forgotten that this crusade was preached by the
very men whose form of ecclesiastical government
is in direct contrast with our republican institutions;
and whose spiritual forefathers were those preach-
ers, who; whilst Dr. Witherspcon and a host of
kindred spirits were nobly stemming the tide of
oppression, basely fled fram the land of their adop-
tion, and consigned her sons to the sword of ty-
ranny, the doom of rebels. " During the revolu-
tionary war," says Dr. Bangs, " all the preachers
except Mr. Asbury, returned to their native land."

143 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

Yes, they loved their " native land" too well, to
find rest for the sole of their foot, in a country where
grinding oppression had roused the spirit of hide*
pendence, and tories had fallen into disrepute. "All
the Methodists," says Wesley, " were firm for the
government, (that is, were all tories,) and on that
account were persecuted by the rebels." Wesley's
Works, vol. 3, p. 411. Yet this is the sort of men
who are so jealous for our liberties; and so prompt
to detect and expose Presbyterian encroachments!
Nor should it be forgotten, that these patriotic
preachers, who, in the language of the founder of
their system, " are no republicans (in ecclesiastical
matters) and never intend to be" are in the con-
stant practice of circulating, by means of their
book concern, sentiments which are high-tory
and treasonable. The following passages from
the third volume of Wesley's Sermons, pp. 406,
408, will illustrate our meaning — " Thus," says
he, " we have observed each of these wheels apart
—on the one hand, trade, wealth, pride, luxury,
sloth, and wantonness, spreading far and wide
through the American provinces; on the other, the
spirit of independency diffusing itself from north
to south. Let us observe how the wise and gra-
cious providence of God uses one to check the oth5
er> and even employs, (if so strong an expression

ARMINIAX METHODISM. 14§

may be allowed,) Satan to cast out Satan. Pro-
bably that subtle spirit (the devil) hoped by adding
to all those other vices the spirit of independency , to
have overturned the whole work of God, as well
as the British government in North America."
So it seems that independence, and the overthrow
of the British government in this country, were
the works of the devil! Again: " The spirit of
independence which our poet so justly terms, * the
glorious fault of angels and of gods,' (that is in
plain terms, of devils,) the same which so many
call liberty, is overruled by the justice and mer-
cy of God." George Washington, the arch-fiend,
leading an armv of " devils" to achieve American
independence, imparts a sweet smelling savor to a
volume of sermons! We could cover with the
mantle of charity the weakness and errors of John
Wesley, a British subject, and a stanch royalist;
but when we behold these self-constituted guardians
of our liberties, these zealous watchmen, eager to
sound the alarm of approaching danger, from the
ambitious designs of Presbyterians — when we be-
hold these incorruptible patriots sending cut, as on
the wings of the four winds of heaven, thousands
and tens of thousands of copies of a work, which

breathes the very spirit of toryism and treason, it
f ■'.

150 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

is difficult to find a covering wide enough to hide
their guilt and shame.

In strong contrast with this strange farrago of
Methodist episcopacy, let us hear the venerable
Dr. Miller describe the episcopacy of the New
Testament, and of good sense:

" We suppose," remarks Dr. M., " that there is
properly speaking but one order of gospel minis-
ters; that every regular pastor of a congregation is
a Scriptural bishop; or that every presbyter who
has been set apart ' by the laying on of the hands
of the presbytery J (1 Tim. 4:14,) and who has the
pastoral charge of a particular church, is, to all in-
tents and purposes, a bishop, having a right, in
company with others, his equals, to ordain and to
perform every service pertaining to the episcopal
office." " We suppose that there are, indeed, two
other classes of church officers, viz,, ruling elders
and deacons; but that neither of these are authoriz-
ed to labor in word and doctrine, or to administer
the Christian sacraments. We suppose there is a
plain distinction made in Scripture, between elders
who only rule, and elders who also c labor in
word and doctrine? (1 Tim. 5:17.)" Letters, p. 5.

" Our judicatories, from the highest to the low-
est, are all made up of laymen, as, well as clergy -
meia; and in all of them, excepting the highest if

ARMINIAN METH0DIS3r. 151

the laity exercise their rights, there will be a larger
number of the former than of the latter,- and in
the highest judicatory, an equal number. This, of
course, gives to the laity of our communion con-
stant and intimate access to all our plans and
measures, and all the opportunity that can be de-
sired to exercise their full share of power in con-
trolling those measures. The people cannot be
oppressed, unless they conspire to oppress them-
selves!" (Letter to a Gentleman of Baltimore,
p. 72.) This conclusive reasoning would doubtless
lack most of its force, if the laymen of whom Dr»
M. speaks, were, like the " class leaders, stewards,
trustees, and exhorters," of Methodism, indebted
exclusively to the preacher for their appointment
or nomination: But this is so far from being the
fact, that the laymen who participate in all the
councils of Presbyterianism, are the representatives
of the congregations, chosen by a majority of votes
and delegated by their own deliberate uncontrolled
choice and designation to this special duty. This is
literally the fact in every instance, in regard to the
three lower forms of judicatory; and may be lite^
rally true of their appointment to the highest, when-
ever the laity exercise their constitutional right to
have a majority in the presbyteries which elect the
delegates.

14

152 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

But the inquiry may here arise— Is there any
Scriptural warrant for a system of church govern-
ment so thoroughly republican as this? Does the
word of God authorize the commitment of ecclesi-
astical power so entirely into the hands of the peo-
ple? In reply we refer to the record of the appoint-
ment of deacons in the 6th chapter of Acts. Let
the inquirer open his Bible and read — " The twelve
called the multitude of ike disciples" — " Brethren
hole YE out among you seven men, whom YE
may set over this business* And the saying pleas-
ed the whole multitude and they chose Stephen*'*
&c. Not the preachers, nor bishops, nor even
the apostles chose them: Not even inspired apostles
would venture to take the right of election out of
the hands of the people — "whom they set before
the apostles — and they laid their hands on them."
Can any thing be more evident than that the first
deacons were elected by the people, or the whole
multitude of the disciples? " they chose Stephen.''
(Quest. 1. " How is a travelling deacon constituted?
Answ. By the election of the majority of the year-
ly conference, (all preachers, not a solitary layman
among them,) and the laying on of the hands of a
bishop/' (Discip. Meth. Church, p. 32,)

Again: we refer the reader to the 15th chapter
of Acts for further proof of Scriptural republican-

ASMINIAN METHODISM* 153

ism: -; Certain men which came down from Judea
taught the brethren — ' Except ye be circumcised,'
&c.; they (the brethren) determined that Paul and
Barnabas and certain other of them (the brethren)
should go up to Jerusalem — they were received of
the church, and of the apostles, and elders — And
the apostles and elders came together to consider
of this matter. Then pleased it the apostles and
elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men
of their own company — The apostles, elders, and
brethren, send greeting — It seemed good unto us,
(the apostles, eiders, and brethren.) being assembled
with one accord, to send chosen men unto you," &c.
if these passages do not prove the fact, that under
the direction of inspired apostles, the people did
participate in the deliberations and legislative acts
of the Synod of Jerusalem — if they do not deter-
mine the divine right of private members of the
church to a share in its government, it is difficult
to say what evidence would suffice. But suppose
these things had been transacted by a Methodist
conference, annual or general. How^ would it have
read? The reverend travelling preachers, (al-
though the M brethren" had not * chosen" one of
them " to go up" to conference,) came together
for to consider cf this matter. Then pleased it the
reverend travelling preachers to exclude from their

154 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

conference all local preachers, to allow them no
seat nor vote in their meeting. It pleased them
also to close the doors against " the whole multi-
tude of the disciples" " with the whole church;"
who were not only denied the right of deliberating
and voting, but were forbidden to be present in the
assembly even as spectators. And when there
had been much disputing, a certain bishop sur-
named Peter, rose up and addressed the preachers:
" Then all the multitude" (of the preachers) kept
silence and gave audience — and after he had held
his peace, bishop James delivered a speech to the
u whole multitude" of preachers* Then pleased
it the reverend travelling preachers, " with the
whole church" of travelling preachers, to send
chosen men to Antioch. And they wrote letters —
" The travelling preachers, with < the brethren?
who are also travelling preachers send greeting —
It seemed good unto US, the travelling preachers"
&c, &c. Now in this portrait, we have merely
supposed the apostles to have been good Methodists,
— that they sat in conference with closed doors,
excluded all laymen and local preachers from a
seat and vote in their councils, and after havincr
been self-appointed to conference, that they took
the whole business of legislation out of the hands
of the people. We have also substituted the words

AIOIINIAN METHODISE. 155

" travelling preachers'* in the place of " the breth-
ren," " all the multitude,'* " the whole church,** &c.,
as they occur in the 15th chapter of the Acts of the
Apostles. It would be manifestly absurd to speak of
u all the multitude,"* " the whole church," " the
brethren," as being present, "giving audience," and
uniting in the business of legislation, in a Methodist
conference, where they are not permitted to be
present even as a part of the audience. In this
mirror, then, the candid inquirer may see at one
view, the republicanism of Scripture, and the aris-
tocracy of Methodism. Xor will he feel surprised
to find Dr. Bangs in his *; Vindication," expressing
his fears for a il ministry under the control, and
at the mercy of the peopled p. 158. Doubtless
Dr. B. thinks it much safer to have the people un-
der the control and at the mercy of the preachers!

14 *

156 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

3C.ETTHH VII.

Articles and Discipline. Origin of the Work,
Elegant Extracts. Compensation and Support
of Preachers.

Rev. Sir:

We have had occasion in previous letters, to
mention repeatedly the " Book of Discipline" of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, for the purpose of
directing attention to some of its singular state-
ments. We are not done with the subject; but as
it is one of considerable interest, we propose to
confer upon it the distinction of a separate investi-
gation. This seems the more proper as it is but
repaying a debt of long standing, and due to Method-
ism for the notice she has been pleased to bestow
upon the Presbyterian Confession of Faith.

X. The Beauties of the Methodist Articles
and Book of Discipline.

1. The Origin of the Work. It will be found
upon examination, to be neither more nor less than

AfiitlNlAN METHODISM. 157

Liturgy and Articles of the Church of England.
in a mutilated and deformed condition. The origi-
nal was formed, as Dr. [Miller tells us, on the basis
of five Romish missals, or prayer-books, which
had been in use in the same number of popish
bishoprics. This liturgy at first contained a num-
ber of things grossly popish: and even after under-
going a " considerable purgation,'' as Dr. M. has
it, by Calvin and others, still retained a " number
of articles, adopted from the missals of the Church
of Rome, which exceedingly grieved the more pious
and evangelical part of the church, but which the
queen and her clergy refused to exclude."' These
facts will fully account for the popish perfume,
which in a previous letter, we detected in the form
of administering the Lord's supper.

The dilapidated state in which we find this book
in the hands of Methodists, was the work of John
Wesley. He candidly confessed that he had made
some slight alterations — but these slight alterations
are5 (besides many important additions and omis-
sions in other points,) a reduction of the thirty-nine
articles to twenty -five. The book in its original
form was entirely too Calvinistic for Mr. Wesley:
hence he thought proper to expurgate fourteen of
its doctrinal articles. Among those rejected are
the fifteenth, which asserts " that Christ alone was

iOb THE DIFFICULTIES OF

without sin;" and the eighteenth which condemns
the assertion that " every man shall be saved by
the law or sect which he professeth," and which
further affirms " that holy Scripture cloth set forth
only the name of Jesus Christy whereby men must
be saved.*' " The name of Jesus Christ," implies
the belief of certain doctrines, respecting the nature
of the Savior and the religion which he taught: but
it is manifest that Mr. Wesley considered doctrines
or right opinions as of little value, and the religious
feelings of the true Methodist as the only sure pledge
and passport of salvation. Thus in his third ap-
peal, p. 185: " I will not quarrel with you about
any opinions; believe them true or false." And
again he states, " the points we chiefly insisted
upon were that orthodoxy or right opinions is at
best but a very slender part of religion, if it can be
any part of it at all." It is true Mr. W. explains
these dangerous assertions by stating his mean-
ing to be simply that it is possible to possess
right views of doctrine, without right affections,
as in the case of the devils who " believe and
tremble." But it is one thing to say, that persons
may entertain correct doctrinal sentiments, and be
destitute of piety; and quite another thing to say
that right opinions form no part of piety. There
may indeed be orthodoxy without religion, but no

ARMINIAN METHODISM. 159

religion without orthodoxy, at least in the great
essentials. Such was the origin, and such the au-
thor of the "Book of Discipline" of the Methodist
church.

2. Statement of the Origin of the Methodist
Episcopal Church in America. We are told on
page 6 of the Book of Discipline, that " Mr. Wes-
ley preferring the episcopal mode of church gov-
ernment, solemnly set apart by the imposition of his
hands and prayer, Thomas Coke to the episcopal
office; and having delivered to him letters of epis-
copal orders, commissioned and directed him to
set apart Francis Asbury to the same episcopal
office." Now besides the intrinsic absurdity al-
ready pointed out, of a priest ordaining a bishop,
and the exceeding doubtfulness of the matter of
fact, that Wesley, who declared he would rather
be called " fool, knave, villain," than bishop, should
designate another to bear the office and title he so
much abhorred: Besides all this, observe with what
authority the doctors of Methodism speak when
writing for the special use and benefit of the sect.
Mark their language — "episcopal mode of church
government" — " episcopal office" — " letters of epis-
copal orders" — " episcopal ordination," &e. But
with what commendable modesty does Dr. Bangs
relate the same story in the appendix to Buck's

160 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

Theological Dictionary? How do these proud pre-
tensions dwindle, when about to be laid more fairly
before the public? The Doctor tells us, " that be-
ing assisted by other presbyters of the Church of
England, by prayer and imposition of hands, he
(Wesley) set apart Thomas Coke, a presbyter of
said church, as a superintendent of the Methodist
societies in America," (not a word about his being
made a bishop, or receiving the episcopal office.)
Again: " Mr. Asbury being first elected by the
unanimous voice of the preachers, was ordained
by Dr. Coke, first to the office of deacon, then elder,
and then superintendent or bishop" In the Book
of Discipline, the statement says nothing about
u superintendent ;" it is nothing but episcopal mode
of church government, episcopal office,, episcopal
orders, episcopal ordination. But here in the Ap-
pendix to Buck, it is all superintendent, and the
poor bishop comes hobbling in the rear, in the
shape of an alias, just as though he had been
smuggled into his present position as slyly as pos-
sible to escape detection! The very term from
which the church derives the name " episcopal,"
is introduced so modestly that it might be supposed
a thing of almost no importance, and not a word is
uttered of those high sounding titles enumerated
above,

AJtXlKIAK METHODISM^ 261

If moreover in the Methodist system, bishop and
superintendent be synonymous, and both imply
merely that their possessor is an elder, who on ac-
count of age or talents has received from man a
more extensive superintendence of ecclesiastical
affairs, than ordinarily belongs to the eldership;

all this pompous talk of " episcopal ordination,"
M episcopal office," " letters of episcopal orders,"
&c. ? Why this puerile affectation of high sounding

— this ludicrous mimicry of the English hie-
rarchy? How would it be more absurd to speak
of Presbyterian episcopacy, since every pastor su-
rer bit ends a portion of the church of Christ? And
especially, is there not something' profane in the
repetition of the solemn divine rite of ordination,
(the Bible knows nothing about " consecration,")
whenever an elder is appointed to a larger sphere
of superintendence, than formerly he occupied?
With about as much propriety might every Presby-
terian minister be re- ordained, whenever lie is re-
moved from a narrow, to an extensive circuit of
influence. Whether therefore we consider the
Methcdist bishop as holding an office of divine ori-
gin, essentially distinct from and superior to that of
elder — or regard these offices as identical, with
only enlarged powers received of men on the part

162 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

of the bishop, it is obvious that the whole subject
is involved in a labyrinth of inconsistencies.

3. Practice against Theory* On page 72,
(1 quote from the edition of 1832,) it is said, " No
person shall be admitted to the Lord's supper
among us, who is guilty of any practice for which
we would exclude a member of our church." But
from page 41 we learn that one of the grounds of
excluding members of the Methodist church, is,
" removing from one circuit to another without a
note of recommendation from the preacher." But
the case is materially altered when persons are
enticed away from other churches, without any
certificate or note of recommendation. They are
freely and with open arms admitted, and that too
in many instances where they would be denied,
even if they requested a note of recommendation.
Indeed the usage of Methodism in this particular,
is subversive of every thing like order and discip-
line in the Christian church. Let a member of any
other denomination suffer the just reward of his
deeds and be cut off, he at once takes refuge by
the altar of Methodism; he is considered lawful
prey and clear gain by his new associates; and is
readily admitted to their confidence and fellowship.
Hence a total prostration of successful discipline in
the house of God.

ARMIMAN METHODISM. 16o

4. Methodist Liberality. Rule 4, p. 75: u Let

it be recommended to our people not to attend the
sincring schools, which are not under our direction.5'

DO '

The very singing schools of other sects, it seems,
are contamination to good Methodists*

On pp. 79, 80, we find the following: " It is e?v«
pected of all who continue in these societies, that
they should evidence their desire of salvation."
Very well. But how are they to evidence their
desire of salvation? Among; other things, the fourth
paragraph from the above, reads as follows: " By
doing good, especially to them that are of the
household of faith, or groaning to be so; employing
them preferably to others, buying one of another,
helping each other in business" — And this, be it
remembered, is one of those rules which on the
next page, are said w to be taught of God" " even
in his written word;" and " which his Spirit writes
on truly awakened hearts" " If there be any
among us,5' adds the Book of Discipline, " who
habitually break any of them, we will admonish
him of the error of his ways. We will bear with
him for a season. But if then he repent not, he
hath no more place among us. We have deliver-
ed our own souls!" In other words, if any Meth-
odist shall employ habitually, any person not " of
the household of faith," or shall habitually, buy of
15

184 THE DIFFICULTIES OP

such a person, preferably to a brother Methodist;
if he repent not^ he is turned out — that the con-
scientious preachers may " deliver their own
souls!"

We have two rules (pp. 77, 85) forbidding buy-
ing and selling on the Sabbath; but no prohibition
of amusements on that day. This indeed might
be regarded merely as an oversight, were it not
that we have line upon line, and precept upon pre-
cept, about rings, ear-rings, necklaces, lace, ruf-
fles, &c, and the preachers are expressly forbid-
den to admit to class " any who wear high heads?
enormous bonnets, ruffles, or rings." A grave
conference of Methodist preachers, in solemn de-
liberation touching the " heights and distances"
of ladies' heads, and earnestly debating the mo-
mentous topics of the altitude, diameter, longitude?
and circumference, of bonnets and head-dresses!
A little common sense, however, will dictate that
pride as frequently dwells beneath a plain exterior,
as in connection with gay clothing; yea, that often
persons are proud of their plainness and humility^
One thing at least is certain — " cleansing the outside
of the cup and platter," was not the Savior's
method of making the vessel really clean.

On page 86, the members of the " Band Socie-
ties" are required to " attend constantly on all the

ABMINIAN METHODISM. 165

ordinances of God," and the fourth subdivision
under this head, is — ■" To observe as days of fast-
ing or abstinence, all Fridays in the year." To
fast every Friday one of the ordinances of God!
Our good old mother of Rome, has an "ordinance"
requiring all genuine sons of the church, to eat no
meat on Friday; but where to open my Bible to
find such an ordinance is an entire mystery. We
strongly suspect that this is one of the things
that ought not to have escaped the " considerable
purgation" spoken of by Dr. Miller. The blessed
Redeemer enjoined fasting, but specified no particu-
lar time for the discharge of the duty; but Method-
ism would be wiser and specifies one day in each
week! And this, too, is one of those rules, and a
part of that discipline, in regard to which, neglect
or disobedience subjects the person, on the third
offence, to excommunication, p. 90. No doubt it
would be a mortal sin to partake of a hearty meal
three Fridays in succession! So thinks our most
prudent and tender mother over the seas. The
same wise and compassionate matron not only
" commands to abstain from meats" but alsojfor-
bids to marry in certain cases: Equally infallible
is the regulation of the Methodist discipline, which
forbids the preacher to marry, until four years af-
ter entering upon his office, on pain of having no

166 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

provision made for the support of the partner of
his cares — « this provision, (one hundred dollars,)
shall not apply to the wives of such preachers."
p. 169.

5. Elect Infants* In the order of baptism for
infants (p. 104) is the prayer, " that this child now
to be baptized, may ever remain in the number of
thy faithful and elect children" Now when this
unfortunate little word " elect," arrests the atten-
tion of Methodism, in a Presbyterian sermon or
Confession of Faith, at once

" The pulpit drum ecclesiastic

Is beat with fist instead of a stick.n

The camp is all in motion. To arms! To arms!
Charge! Fletcher, charge! On! Wesley, on! Loud
thunders the dread artillery: tremendous polysyl-
lables, winged wTith fierce destruction, boom through
the yielding air, and spread havoc and devastation
all around. But to be serious. How comes it,
that this small word " elect," turns the stomach of
every orthodox Methodist, when employed by
Presbyterians, but is wholesome food and physic
in the Methodist Book of Discipline? Dr. Fisk as-
serts that unconditional election, the only election
of infants, always and of necessity implies reproba*

AJOIINIAN METHODISM. 167

tion: Of course, if there are elect children , there
must also be reprobate children. Alas! alas!

6, Reverently obey the bishop. " Will you re-
verently obey your chief ministers," is a question
put at the ordination of elders; and another of the
same import at the ordination of deacons. The
next step will be to kneel and reverently to kiss
the toe of their holinesses. See this identical form
of expression in the Bull of Pope Innocent YIIT.
for exterminating the Waldenses — " Reverently to
obey the apostolical mandates," &c, viz.: the
bloody edicts of his Holiness.

But perhaps the most curious illustration of the
reverence and obedience exacted of the lower or-
ders of the Methodist ministry is found on pages
36, 37. In answer to the question — " What is the
duty of a preacher?" we have twelve specifications,
and among others, iC Be diligent" — " Let your
motto be holiness to the Lord" — " Be ashamed of
nothing but sin" — u You have nothing to do but to
save souls: therefore spend and be spent in this
work" — " Save as many as you can" — " It is
your duty to employ your time in the manner in
which we direct; in preaching and visiting from
house to house; in reading, meditation, and pray-
er." When we had read thus far, we almost invo-
luntarily exclaimed. Admirable — What could be
15 *

163 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

more Scriptural and excellent! But alas! alas!
The very next sentence was a dead fly in the oint-
ment—" ABOVE ALL," if you labor with us in
the Lord's vineyard, it is needful you should do
that part of the work which WE advise, at those
times and places which WE judge most for his
glory." Above all! Above preaching, and visit-
ing, and reading, and meditation, and prayer!
Above spending and being spent for Christ, and
holiness, and the salvation of souls! Above all
these*> " reverently OBEY your chief ministers.'*
Truly it would seem that in the Methodist cata-
logue of ministerial virtues, TO OBEY is the
highest attainment of Christian perfection — the
pearl of great price — the summum bonum — the
one thing needful — not only " better than sacri-
fice," but better than holiness and salvation! Re*
hellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborn-
ness is as iniquity and idolatry! In the light of
these facts, we may readily credit the testimony of
one, who had himself been a Methodist, " that
nearly all of the inferior clergy are kept in a state
of spiritual bondage, so that on many occasions,
they dare not speak or act as the Scriptures pre-
scribe and their consciences dictate, lest they
should offend the men in poiver, and be chastised
by a remove to a disadvantageous circuit, or by ex-

AR3IIXIAX METHOniSM. 169

communication." An excellent school, doubtless,
in which the refractory may ct learn obedience by
the things they suffer."

7. Beauties of Composition. The following
rhymes are appended to the form of ordination for
elders; and are thought worthy of repetition at the
consecration of bishops. We quote but a few
couplets:

Anoint and cheer our soiled face!
With the abundance of thy grace.

Our soiled face!
Again:

Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And thee, of loth to be but one,

Beautiful specimens these of the absence of both
sense and grammar.

Again:

Praise to thy eternal merit.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

7. Compensation and support of Preachers,
We speak the deliberate conviction of our mind,

170 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

when we say that in regard to this matter Metho-
dism has been more generous than any other de-
nomination of Christians. It is true, the impres-
sion is often made by Methodists, that whilst the
ministers of other branches of the church are abun-
dantly paid for their labors, theirs not only re-
ceive no pecuniary compensation, but indignantly
spurn the thought, as degrading them down to a
level with hireling priests. We do not assert that
this impression is intentionally left upon the minds
of the people: we only state the fact. It should
be kept in mind, moreover, that when we speak of
the compensation of Methodist preachers, we mean
the travelling preachers and circuit riders: the
local preachers receive no pay, by the rules of the
discipline.

Let us now examine what provision is made in
the Book of Discipline for remunerating the travel-
ling ministry for their toils, always bearing in
mind, that be it scant or liberal, it is precisely
what these preachers have legislated into their
own pockets; and that at their pleasure it may be
increased to any practicable extent, without con-
sulting the people who pay it.

1. " The annual allowance of the travelling
preachers shall be one hundred dollars, and their
travelling expenses.

ARMENIAN METHODISM. 171

II. The annual allowance of the wipes of travel-

ling preachers shall be one hundred dollars.

III. Each child of a travelling preacher shall be
allowed sixteen dollars annually to the age of seven
years: and twenty-four dollars annually from
seven to fourteen. And those preachers whose
wives are dead shall be allowed for each child, a sum
sufficient to pay the board of such child or child-
ren for the above term of years. Nevertheless,
this rule shall not apply to the children of preach-
ers whose families are provided for by other
means, in their circuits respectively.

IV. The allowance of superannuated, worn out,
and supernumerary, preachers shall be one hun-
dred dollars annually.

V. The annual allowance of their wives shall be.
one hundred dollars.

VI. The annual allowance of their widows shall
be one hundred dollars.

VII. Their orphans shall be allowed the same
sums respectively which are allowed to the children
of living preachers: And on the death of a preacher,
leaving a child, or children, without so much of
worldly goods as should be necessary to his, or hei%
or their support, the annual conference shall raise
a yearly sum for the subsistence and education of
such orphan child, or children, until, he, she, or

1 72 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

they, shall be fourteen years of age." (These seven
items are extracts from the Discipline, pp. 169,
170. Edition 1832.)

Again: "It shall be the duty of said committee
or one appointed for that purpose, to make an esti-
mate of the amount necessary to furnish fuel and
table expenses for the family, or families, of
preachers stationed with them, and the stewards
shall provide by such means as they may devise,
to meet such expenses, in money or otherwise,"
Discip. p. 178.

Again, p. 176: "It is recommended by the ge?
neral conference to the travelling preachers, to ad-
vise our friends in general, to purchase a let of
ground in each circuit, and to build a vreaclxer's
house thereon, and to furnish it with at least the
heavy furniture." " The general conference re-
commend to all the circuits, (if not able to build a
preacher's house,) to rent a house for the married
preacher and his family, and that the annual con-
ferences do assist to make up the rents of such
houses as far as they can, when the circuits can-
not do it." pp. 176, 177.

Thus far the Discipline. Nov/ let us sum up.
We will take an average case, say a preacher
with a wife and five children, two above and tlxree

AR3I1NIAX METUGDISM. 173

under seven years of age. The account will
stand as follows:

Annual allowance to the preacher, 8100.00

Do. do. to the preacher's wife, 100.00

Two children above seven, 824 each, 48.00

Three children under seven, §16 each, 48.00

Table expenses, or boarding", at To cents each, per

week, for six persons, omitting the youngest

child, and omitting domestics, 234.00

House rent, 45.00

Travelling expenses to conference, &c. 25.00

8600.00

This allowance of six hundred dollars is great-
ly increased, if the preacher's family numbers
eight or ten. And should he become disabled by
accident or infirmity, the allowance is continued to
him and his children, even though he should be laid
aside in the early part of his ministry: so that for
a few years' service, he and his family may re-
ceive their allowance for half a century. And
when he goes to rest from his labors, he has the
consolation of knowing, that his children will not
be cast upon the cold charity of an unfeeling
world, but will be provided with a comfortable sub-
sistence. Well may we inquire with Dr. Schmuek-
er, " what denomination of Christians is there in

174 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

our land, whose ministers would not gladly accept
this provision?"

The travelling preachers have enacted the requi-
site laics to provide abundantly for themselves and
their families: An important question occurs — Do
the people supply the necessary funds to give these
statutes their full effect? In reply, we first quote
the direction on page 171- — " Let there be made
weekly class collections in all our societies where it
is practicable;" and the admission on the next page,
that there is sometimes a u surplus in the hands of
the stewards, after paying the allowances of the
circuit preachers" — Secondly , we adduce the testi-
mony of one of themselves, as published in the
" Religious Intelligencer" of New Haven, (for
1823, p. 793) — " I was brought up a Methodist/'
says this witness, " and my parents are to this
hour members of that society. / have been a
preacher in that denomination a number of years.
In the year — , 1 thought it my duty to request a
dismission from that body; and as there was no-
thing against my religious and moral character, I
was accordingly dismissed, and united myself to
a respectable association of Congregational minis-
ters in New England. Soon after this I had a call
to settle with the congregation of which I am now
pastor. From this statement, you will easily con=

AKMINIAN METHODISM. 1 4 Q

elude that I must be well acquainted with the doc-
trine and discipline of the Methodists. Jt is with
the utmost satisfaction I bear witness, as respects
the salaries of Methodist preachers. To the honor
of the Methodists I can say, I always received my
salary with great punctuality."' (Here he makes
some calculations, which are precisely like those
given above, except that he actually received four
dollars per week boarding for himself and wife,
whilst we have stated it at seventy-five cents
each in the foregoing calculation.) " As respects
their not getting what the Discipline allows,'' adds
this writer, it may be true in some few cases; but
without any reflection upon the Methodist preachers
as a body, most of these men are of that class who
would get far less in almost any other situation.
I have made the proposal several times to my soci-
ety, to place my salary on the plan of the Metho-
dist discipline." (Here he compares his salary
with what it would be in the Methodist church, and
finds that for his family of seven persons, his sala-
ry would be raised twenty -eight dollars and the
house rent.) " That the respectable Methodist
preachers do get their salaries, (he continues,) we
cannot doubt. I can at any time bring forward
cases in which Methodist preachers have received
the notes of the circuit stewards on interest for
16

176 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

the balance of their salary for the year, when it
has not been promptly paid.5' Such then is the
unvarnished tale of a " prophet of their own." sa-
tisfactorily proving that the statutes, by which the
preachers have effectually repelled the charge of
" denying the faith, because they make not provi-
sion for their own," are not a " dead letter," but a
living principle, securing ample provision for them-
selves and " those of their own household." The
monied allowance for themselves and wives has
several times been enlarged, but never reduced.
A principal member of the church stated to Dr.
Schmucker, that it was at .first sixty-four dollars
each, then eighty dollars, and now one hundred
dollars. And even the collection of the liberal al-
lowance of six hundred dollars, is not attended with
the same trouble as in other churches, a large por-
tion of it. being derived from general funds. ?' The
chartered fund" was established in 1796, at which
time the previously existing " stock of the preach-
ers'fund " together with the profits of the book
concern, were thrown into this fund, and the in-
terest of the whole applied to the preachers' salary.
That, this stock was profitable more than thirty-six
years ago, is seen from the following extract from
the Discipline of 1797, (9th edition.)

ARMIXIAN METHODISM. ITT

" Question. What sum of money shall be allow-
ed distressed preachers out of the book fund?

Answer. Two hundred and sixty-six and one-
third dollars annually/'

Subsequently the profits of the book concern
were no longer thrown into the chartered fund to
be on interest, but were wholly applied from year
to year in making up the preachers' salaries. The
chartered fund alone amounted in January 1829,
to twenty -seven thousand dollars! The annual
profits of the book concern, we believe, are never
published to the churches, but must from the na-
ture of the case be very great. They have several
religious periodicals, one of which, (a weekly pa-
per,) boasts thirty thousand subscribers. Each of
these pays two dollars per year, which on so large
an edition, must yield not less than thirty thousand
dollars annually. Besides, every preacher is offi-
cially a book agent, " who is to see that his circuit
be duly supplied with books, and to take charge of
all books sent him." (Discip. p. 186, edition 1825.)
Thus they carry on an immense book trade over
the wide extent of our country, the profits of which
they apply to their own salary and the support of
their widows and orphans. With near two thou-
sand preachers, agents in this business, and " six
or eight hundred thousand" members, who are

178 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

cautioned " not to purchase any books which we
publish, of any other persons, than the aforesaid
D. Hitt, and T. Ware, and the Methodist min-
isters, or such persons as sell them by their con-
sent," (Portrait of Methodism,) the annual profits
must be enormous in a concern of such unparal-
elled extent.* And all the proceeds are appropri-
ated by statute, after retaining the necessary capital
to carry on the business, to no other purpose than
the payment of the preachers'* allowance. In what
other denomination is there a security like this for
ample compensation to their ministers for their self-
denying toils? And in the light of these facts, how
must we regard the outcry of Methodists against
the clergy of other sects in regard to salary, when
in fact no branch of the church on earth has a
ministry placed on such high and independent foot-
ing in this respect as their own. Not only do they
require their members, even in very straitened cir-
cumstances to contribute liberally, (Dr. Ely states
that servant maids in Philadelphia pay four dollars
a year,) but by a mighty machinery, reaching its
hundred hands to every nook and corner of the
land, they manage an unexampled traffic, which
pours into their treasury its thousands and tens of

H See Dr. Schmucker's letters to Rev. Mr. young.

ARMIIsIAN 3IETH0DISM. 170

thousands annually. But perhaps the worst feature
of the system is the secret agency by which the
people who pay this money are excluded from all
part or lot in its distribution. Preachers pass the
revenue laws— preachers collect the tax — preach-
ers meet in secret conclave and divide the spoil; in
other words fix the amount of their own salary,
and pay themselves the sums they in their wisdom
may consider lawfully due for their important ser-
vices— but no eye of a layman must ever light upon
these transactions!

In close connection with these statements; ]et
the reader recur to the evidence adduced in a fore-
going letter, that the ownership of every Methodist
church and parsonage is vested in the conference.
The authorized deed makes no mention of the par-
ticular congregation as a party in the transaction,
but only of the [Methodist Episcopal Church in the
United States; and the principle has been actually
decided by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, in
the case of an appeal, by a minority of trustees as
agents of the conference, from the verdict of a jury
previously given in favor of the majority both of
the congregation and of the trustees, who had join-
ed the Protestant Methodists or Radicals. The
Supreme Court therefore has settled the principle
that a minority, however small, of the faithful set*
16 *

180 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

vants of the conference, may, on the ground of the
only authorized form of deed, dispossess a majority,
however large, of their property in a church and
parsonage. Submission to the sovereign authority
of a conference of preachers, is the only legal title
to funds thus vested. " It is therefore undeniable,
that if every member and every trustee of a church
thus deeded, were to regard any future measures
of the conference as tyrannical, and should desire
to withdraw and introduce other preachers, the
conference could turn the key on them, and they
would be compelled to submit." In proportion,
therefore, as the members of the church secede,
and vacate the houses and lands which they have
occupied, will an immense and accumulating re-
venue of this sort, be placed in the hands of the
preachers composing the conference. The Pro-
testant Methodists may get the men, but the Epis-
copal Methodists hold fast the money. If the
apathy or fond credulity of a portion of the Amer-
ican people shall permit this system to pursue its
course as in former years, half a century will de-
velope results which will impart to statements of
this sort the character of history, rather than that
of prediction.

In conclusion: If such be the poverty of the
ministry of Methodism, I presume there are but few

ARMINIAN METH0DIS31. 1B1

who in relation to themselves, would refuse to write
upon it, " perpetna esto." Six or seven hundred
dollars secured in compensation of labors, for the
right performance of which there has not been any
preparatory expenditure worthy of notice, is no
mean provision for the good things of this life.
In most other denominations, the intended minister
is required to pass through a course of training,
from seven to twelve years in duration, in which
he must expend a small estate before he can enter
upon the duties of his profession; and if, in the pro-
vidence of God, he is disabled by disease or acci-
dent after the few first years of his ministry, he
must resign his charge, and of course his means of
subsistence, to some more favored occupant. Not
so the preacher of Methodism. After the expira-
tion of the four first years of his ministry, even
though reduced by the visitation of Heaven to a
state of utter helplessness, his clear income for
himself and wife is two hundred dollars, or the in-
terest of three thousand three hundred end thirty
three dollars; and his children are also provided
for. It may be questioned, whether any man,
minister, or layman, would be considered far from
the pathway of wealth, who, in four years, with
scarce any previous expenditure, and with no risk

182 THE DIFFICULTIES OF

of pecuniary loss, could realize an annual income
of equal magnitude.

Such, Rev. Sir, are some of the weak points of
Arminian Methodism. We have written some
things which it has given us pain to publish, and
may perhaps give pain to others to peruse, but we
have made no statement of the truth of which we
have any doubt. Our motive has not been a spirit
of proselytism. That is an employment we freely
surrender into the hands of those, who may per-
chance see their own likeness in the following facts,
taken from Dr. Green's Christian Advocate, vol. 8,
p. 518: " At the distance of a few miles from my
residence is a very pleasant county town. In that
town there is a large Baptist and Presbyterian
church, in each of which there are two sermons
delivered every Lord's day, and one or more lec-
tures during the week. The town contains one
member of the Methodist church, and she an old
lady, so infirm that she can rarely attend on preach-
ing. And yet in that town for a year and upwards,
one of their most polite and declamatory " riders'5
has been preaching; whilst many parts of the sur-
rounding country are as destitute as you can well
imagine. This rider has been using every effort
to make Methodists, but hitherto without success.

AltMINIAN METHODISM* 183

When I last visited the place, the good old woman
• stood alone.' "

Neither has it been our desire or purpose to ren-
der odious the Methodist ministers' as a body.
That is an employment, the entire monopoly of
which we cheerfully resign to those who are cor-
rectly described in the following extract from the
" Pastoral Letter of the Presbytery of Lexington,
Va., 1827." "How frequently in the midst of
their charitable professions, have even their pulpits
resounded with severe denunciations against us,
representing us as a set of hypocritical formalists —
as holding doctrines which came from hell and
lead to hell. Have they not times innumerable
reviled our ministers as avaricious hirelings," 6cc.
Again: " I do believe they (the Presbyterians and
others) are secretly combining to get their re-
ligion established; and I would have no hesitancy
in advancing the above ideas and language from
the pulpit." (Letter of a Circuit Rider, dated, Aug,
5, 1829.)

Nor have we indulged a wish of the feeblest
kind, to throw obstacles in the way of Methodism
in the performance of the work of benevolence and
mercy to the bodies and souls of men. So far as
she publishes, and by every Scriptural method,
promotes the salvation of immortal men,, we bid

184 THE DIFFICULTIES OF, &C

her " God speed." The design of what sve hav^e
written has been to render her more " thoroughly
furnished unto every good work;" that having put
on the armor of truth and righteousness, and hav-
ing laid aside every weight, and all her easily
besetting sins, she may, under the Captain of sal-
vation, successfully fight the battles of the Lord.
And that this discussion may contribute something
to the knowledge of the Lord, which is to fill the
whole earth as the waters cover the channels of
the great deep, is the sincere desire and prayer of
yours, &c.

APPENDIX.

In this appendix we propose to examine the refer-
ences to the standard writers of Presbyterianism, as they
appear in a popular Methodist tract, entitled " A Dia-
logue between a Predestinarian and his Friend." Mr.
Wesley was the author of this tract, and it is appealed
to by Drs. Bangs, Fisk, and others, with such frequency,
and its blunders are copied with so much confidence, as
to justify a brief investigation of its merits. We have
already seen in our introductory letter, that by blindly
following the authority of this publication, in its refer-
ences to the chapters of the Assembly's Catechism, these
learned doctors have exposed themselves to the correc-
tion of any well instructed Sabbath school child. With
this hopeful commencement in our eye, we proceed to
examine the professed quotations from Calvin.

1st reference. (Book 1, chap. 16, sect 8, of the Insti-
tutes,) " Nothing is more absurd than to think any thing
at all is done but by the ordination of God." The pas-
sage hi Calvin, (Allen's translation,) is as follows,
" Nothing could be more absurd than for any thing to
happen independently of the ordination of God, because
it would happen at random." This Calvin gives as a
quotation from Augustine and approves of the sentiment.
But to show what meaning lie designed to attach to

186

APPENDIX.

these words, he afterwards in the same section quotes
the same father, " The will of God is the supreme and
first cause of all things, because nothing happens but by
his command fir permission" It is most evident that
Calvin maintained that sin was permissively ordained.
Is the above a fair quotation?

2d reference. (Book 1, chap. 15, sect 3.) Every action
and motion of every creature is governed by the hidden
counsel of God, that nothing can come to pass but what
was ordained by him/' There is no such passage in
chap. 15, sect. 3. In chap, 16, sect 3, Calvin says,
" They (the creatures) are so governed by the secret
counsel of God that nothing can happen but what is sub-
ject to his knowledge and decreed by his will;" in other
words, " by his command or permission." yet this pas-
sage is employed in the tract, to prove that Calvin main-
tained that all things come to pass by the efficacious and
irresistible will of God!"

3d reference* (Book 1, chap. 15, sect. 8.) " The wills
of men are so govern o&*if the will of God, that they
are carried on straight to the work which he has foreor-
dained." This is another false reference. In chap. 16,
sect 8, Calvin says, " the deliberations and volitions of
men are so governed by his providence as to be directed
to the end appointed by it." It is a part of his argument
for universal providence, against the notion of "fortune*
or " chance" Not a sparrow falls, nor a thought or
volition of the mind eve? arises, but what is under the
superintendence of Divine Providence. Who will ven-
ture to deny this]

APPENDIX. 187

4th reference. (Book 3, chap. 24, sect. 8.) "I will
not scruple to own that the will of God lays a necessity
(m all things, and that every thing he wills necessarily
comes to pass." No such passage there, nor any thing
like it. In book 1, ohap. 16, sect. 9, " What God de-
crees must necessarily come to pass, yet it is not by an
absolute or natural necessity." He cites the example
of the bones of Christ which were " capable of being
broken," " yet that they should be broken was impossi-
ble." And in book 3, chap. 23, he says, " I shall not
hesitate to confess with Augustine, that the will of God
is the necessity of things, for those things are really
about to happen which he has foreseen" From this it
is evident that Calvin is speaking of philosophical ne-
cessity, which is the same with certainty. (See Edwards
on the Will, part 1, sect. 3.) After several other false
references we meet with this:

5th. (Book 3, chap. 23, sect 7.) " I confess it is a
horrible decree" &c. Allen translates it " awful de~
ere?" The original I have not. And in the following
section Calvin says, " Their perdition depends on the
divine predestination in such a manner, that the cause
and matter of it are found in themselves." It is to be
hoped that Wesley repented of his sin in writing thi*
tract.

6th. (Book 3, chap. 31, sec. 1.) Only 25 chapters in
the book!

7th. (Book 3, chap. 25, sect. 6.) " God of his own
good pleasure ordains that many should be born, who
are from the womb doomed to inevitable damnation"
17

188 APPENDIX.

These last words are translated by Allen, *• certain
death" Which is a very different thing from " inevitable
damnation." Dr. W. Fisk admits that " whatsoever
God foreknows will undoubtedly (or certainly) come to
to pass." He foreknew the perdition of some, long be-
fore their birth, therefore their doom is certain from
their birth, unless infallibility can mistake. If a Cal-
vmist or Presbyterian should charge Dr. F. with teach-
ing the " inevitable damnation" of sinners, I suppose he
Would not be a " perfect Christian."

8th. (Book 3, chap. 22, sect. 1.) "So the vulgar
think, that God, as he foresees every man will deserve,
elects them to life or devotes them to death and damna-
tion." Whatever the vulgar may think, I suppose it
will be granted by all who are worthy the name of
Christians, that election to life is not based on what
" man will deserve;" nor on any foresight of merits
which have no existence. But that Calvin did maintain
that men are " devoted to death for their evil deserts"
is evident. Thus, " The first man fell by his owTn fault.
By his own wickedness he corrupted the nature he had
received pure. Wherefore let us rather contemplate
the evident cause of condemnation in the corrupt nature
of mankind, than search after a hidden and altogether in-
comprehensible one in predestination." (Book 3, chap.
23, sect 8.) It remains now to be seen why the Lord
does that which it is evident he does. If it be replied
that this is done because men have deserved it by im-
piety, wickedness, and ingratitude, it will be a just and

APPENDIX. 189

true observation." (Book 3, chap. 24, sect. 14.) See
also above, reference 5th.

9th. (Book 1, chap. 17, sect. 11.) " The devil and
wicked men are so held in on every side with the hand
of God, that they cannot conceive or contrive, or execute
any mischief, any farther than God himself doth not per-
mit only, but command. Nor are they only held in fet-
ters, but compelled also as with a bridle, to perform
obedience to those commands." This the tract gives
as a Calvinistic answer to the question, " How does
God make angels or men sin?" But this is a gross
misrepresentation and perversion of the meaning of the
passage. Calvin is not speaking of the cause of sin,
but of the limits which God in his providence sets to the
rage and malice of the wicked, and thence he derives a
topic of consolation to the pious, "when they recollect
that the devil and the whole army of the wicked are so
restrained by divine power, that they cannot move a.
finger toward the execution of their plans, any farther
than he hath permitted and even commanded them —
they are not only bound by his chains, but compelled to
do him service." Calvin doubtless refers to God's com-
mission to Satan to afflict Job, (Job 1:12, 2:6,) and to the
conduct of Shimei in cursing David: " So let him curse,
because the Lord hath said, ' curse David;' let him alone
and let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him,'*
(2 Samuel, 11:10, 11.) Again: "I deny," (says Calvm.)
" that they serve the will of God; for we cannot say thai
he who is influenced by a wicked heart, acts in obedience
to the commands of God, while he is only gratifying his

190 APPENDIX.

own malignant passions." " Do we perform evil ac-
tions with the design of pleasing him] He gives us no
such command. We precipitate ourselves into them,
so that we deliberately strive to oppose him. In this
manner, even by criminal actions we subserve his right-
eous ordination. He well kmows how to use evil in-
struments, ('thieves, homicides, and other malefactors,')
for the accomplishment of good purposes." Was it fair
in the author of this tract, to quote a part of this section
to convict Calvin of teaching that *' God procures adul-
tery, cursings, lyings," and " by his working on the
hearts of the wicked, bends and stirs them to do evil!"
" Oh shame! where is thy blush!"

Thus we have exhibited the candor and fairness with
which the great Reformer is handled. We next ex-
amine the professed quotations from Dr. Twisse. And
here I am happy to acknowledge the assistance of my
ingenious and worthy young friend, Rev. M. B. Hope,
who kindly lent me his aid in investigating the writings
of Twisse and others, in the libraries of the Theological
Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey. The following
are the professed quotations:

1. "It is impossible that any thing should ever be
done, but that to which God impels the will of man."
(Dr. Twisse's Vindicise gratia?, potestatis et providential
Dei., Editio Jensoniana, pars 3, p. 19.) We have
already seen, (in our Introductory Letter,) that Dr. T. de-
fines the will of God to be his "purpose to do or per-
mit any thing to be done" The Doctor most explicitly
disclaims the idea that the divine will interferes with

APPENDIX. 191

the perfect freedom of men, in any of their actions.
"Ego constanter nego," says he, " energeticum Dei de-
cretum quicquam prsejudicare libertati creaturee, sed
eandem potius stabilire et corroborare." He also takes
much pains to explain the distinction between what is
natural or physical in an action, and that which is mor-
al: '• bonum aut malum." Of the action considered as
physical, Twisse admits that Gocl is the author; "for in
Him we live, move, and have our being," Acts 17:28.
But this is another and a very different thing from "im-
pelling" the will of man to wickedness. But it is quite
idle to expect the travelling preachers to curb their
steeds sufficiently long to perceive this distinction.

2. - God necessitates them only to the act of sin, not
to the deformity of sin," (Vindieise, pars 3, p. 22.) This
is not a fair translation of any passage we have been
able to find. And the latter part of the pretended quo-
tation, " when God makes angels or men sin," &c, is
no where in the book, nor any thing like it. The fol-
lowing are the express words of Dr. Twisse: •• Quid
quod hodie satis constat inter theologos, impossible esse
quicquam fieri cujus auctor non sit Deus, quoad sub-
stantiam actus. Xeque minus luculentum est fieri nob
posse ut Deus sit auctor malitiae aut peccati, qua pecca-
tum est'' That is, " It is satisfactorily proved, among
theologians of the present day, that it is impossible any
thing should take place of which God is not the author,
as respects the substance of the act. Nor is it less evi-
dent that it cannot be that God should be the author of
evil or of sin, as respects its moral turpitude" Is :/-
17 *

192 APPENDIX.

the same as saying that " God makes men and angels

nV<

sinf

The writings of Piscator are next professedly quoted
as follows: " God made Adam and Eve for this very pur-
pose, that they might be tempted and led into sin, and
by force of his decree, it could not otherwise be, but they
must sin. " The reprobates more especially who were
predestinated to damnation, and created to that end," &c.
The work of Piscator here referred to, we have not been
able to procure; but the following extract from his com-
mentary on Acts 2:23, will exhibit his real sentiments.
" Impiorum scelera pendent a decreto Dei. quia Deus
decrevit permittere Satanse, ut eos ad scelera impellat.
Nee deus malitiam instillet, nee illi respiciant ad volun-
tatem Dei, sed ad expiendum libidines suas, idque contra
expressa interdicta Dei." " The wicked actions of im-
pious men, depend upon the divine decree; because God
lias decreed to permit Satan to instigate them to deeds
of crime. Neither does God instill evil into their minds,
nor do they have respect to the divine will, but to the
fulfilment of their evil desires and lusts; and that con-
trary to the express interdict of God." Is this the same
as saying, that " God procures adultery, cursing, lying,
&c, and by force of his decree, it could not otherwise
be, but they must sin]"

But as though it were a small thing to give currency
to the foregoing palpable misrepresentations, through
the instrumentality of their Tract Society, the Sabbath
School is enlisted in the same unholy enterprise. In
No, 32, page 96, of the " Methodist Sunday School and

APPENDIX. 193

Youth's Library," for the purpose of prejudicing the
minds of unsuspecting youth against the doctrines
of sovereign grace, they state the doctrine of Predesti-
nation as follows: " That God hath by an eternal and un-
changeable decree predestinated to eternal damnation
far the greater part of mankind, and that absolutely,
without any respect to their works, but only for the
showing of the glory of his justice. And that for the
bringing this about, he hath appointed these miserable
souls necessarily to walk in their wicked ways, that so
his justice may lay hold of them"

To fasten the impression upon the minds of youth that
this is a fair exhibition of the doctrine, they present
them with their stereotyped array of references to the
writings of Calvin and others. These references, like
those already exposed, are most unworthy attempts to
impose on the credulity of the young and ignorant.
And lest the point and direction of all this might not be
understood, the Presbyterian Confession of Faith comes
in for its share of perversion and abuse. We have a
second edition of Dr. Fisk's most unfair quotation of
chap. 3, sect. 5, which has already been exposed at page
47 of this work — " chosen in Christ unto everlasting
glory, without any foresight of faith or good works, as
conditions or causes moving Him thereto!" The
clause in italics, Dr. Fisk and the Sunday school book
both carefully omit, and for a very obvious reason.

Again: In sect. 7, they suppress the clause which we
put in italics: Thus, " the rest of mankind, God was
pleased, for the glory of his sovereign power over the

194 APPENDIX.

creatures, to pass by and to ordain to dishonor and wrath
for their sin to the praise of Ms glorious justice."

Other examples might be adduced from this volume,
of the strange methods adopted by some Christian men
to promote Christianity. We have only to say, wheth-
er these things be the alphabet or the higher branches
of perfection, " O my soul come not thou into their se-
cret, unto their assembly mine honor, be not thou
united!''

The scheme cf sentiments and feelings of which these
unrighteous doings form a part, deserves a moment's no-
tice. The Tract Society of the Methodist Episcopal
church, is employed to deluge our country with such
precious publications as the " Dialogue between a Pre-
destinarian and his Friend," &c., &c. They produce a
creed concocted from a mass of detached passages, garb-
led quotations, &c. This they tell the people is Cal-
vinism, and these the genuine doctrines of Calvinists.
And lest they should be convicted on the spot of charg-
ing upon Calvinists blasphemies which they abhor, they
have invented " Duplicity Exposed," the top stone of
the system. If Congregationalists, Presbyterians, &c,
indignantly resent this attempt to fasten upon them the
most impious sentiments, their " duplicity" must be ex-
posed— " they are afraid or ashamed to publish their
real sentiments — they teach and preach what they be-
lieve to be false," &c., &c. There can be no doubt that
by this means the hearts of the simple and unwary have
been deceived, and their church rolls swelled to their
boasted seven or eight hundred thousand. The follow-

APPENDIX. 195

ing extract from their great oracle, the " Christian Ad-
vocate and Journal," will form a not inappropriate con-
clusion to this appendix. The author of the ensuing
statements, signs his name, G. Coles. He was the
preacher in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., for the two years pre-
vious to April 20, 1835, the date of his letter, which was
published m the " Journal" for May 8, 1835.

Mr, Coles tells us, that at the commencement of his
term, two years previously to his writing, the whole
number of members was about 400.
Moved away without certificate and otherwise

lost from the classes, - - - - 43

Probationers dropped, ----- 29

Members expelled, ------ 10

Members withdrawn, r 5

Total, 92

Of these ninety-two, be it observed, 43 are said either
to have removed " without certificate," (and thus are
out of the church, being excluded by the Discipline,
p. 41, from admission in other circuits,) or are included
in the mysterious designation, " lost from the classes."
The remaining 44 were either " dropped" as unpromis-
ing, " expelled" as unsavory, or withdrew in disgust.
So that, as Mr. Coles himself testifies, notwithstanding
the church had received an accession of 177 persons,
from other circuits and on probation, yet the whole num-
ber was less by just 17, than two years previously, at
the commencement of his labors, although there had
been only 18 deaths. What a picture is this! One

196 APPENDIX.

hundred (nearly) out of four hundred, separated from
the institutions of religion in disgrace1. Suppose the
Methodist host to number 800,000, (it was reported
700,000 some years since,) and the prosperity of the
church to be as great elsewhere as under Mr. Cole's
ministry; then we have one fourth or 200,000 Methodists
to run at large, bearing the mark of ecclesiastical dis-
honor, every two years; or one hundred thousand every
year! " Let your light so shine," &c?

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